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Reactions To Tom Wilson’s Suspension Reduction

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When a polarizing player like Tom Wilson ends up on the winning side of a suspension appeal, the response from the masses is predictably negative. Wilson’s latest dirty hit, a check to the head of St. Louis Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist, was as bad as any in Wilson’s murky history and few batted an eye at the resulting 20-game suspension. Yet, his appeal’s final stage landed with a neutral arbitrator who took issue with the NHL Department of Player Safety’s use of a multiplier that was not rooted in the Collective Bargaining Agreement nor was it supported by precedent. Just like that, Wilson’s suspension was reduced to 14 games and he is right back on the ice tonight for the Washington Capitals. Unsurprisingly, fans, pundits, and competitors alike are not impressed with the decision:

  • One of the few happy to see Wilson back early is Washington GM Brian MacLellan and even he is treading carefully on the subject. MacLellan sat down with NHL.com’s Dan Rose and made it clear that Wilson has to change his game if he wants to stay on the ice. “We’ve talked about it numerous times,” MacLellan said, “there are certain hits that he just has to stop trying… He’s going to have to avoid some hits and he’s going to have to let up on some hits also. You can’t have the same force because he hits hard and it looks bad, and sometimes he’s going to be evaluated on the force.” For MacLellan and the Caps – who signed Wilson to a massive six-year, $31MM contract this off-season – they simply need Wilson to stay active and contribute, as they’re paying him to do. “At the end of the day, missing 15, 16 games, it can’t happen,” Wilson himself commented on the incident. The question now is whether or not MacLellan and the team can actually influence Wilson into changing his playing style.
  • One fellow player frustrated with both the process and result is Pittsburgh Penguins veteran Matt Cullen. Cullen, 42, has been around longer than virtually every other player in the NHL today and knows a thing or two about how the game operates, or at least how it should. Cullen told Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that “When the next CBA comes up, that’s something we (should) address… I don’t think anybody is real happy with it.” Mackey points out that Cullen is unlikely to still be around when the next agreement is negotiated, but the opinion of a respected player still carries weight. Cullen is disappointed not only in the reduction of the suspension – the rival Penguins are no fans of Wilson – but more so in how it occurred. “I don’t think it’s a good look for our league, for our game to need to go to appeals… You’d like the headlines to be about the play on the ice and the players, not the other (stuff) going on outside of the game… I think most guys probably don’t love that — that it got reduced in that manner as far as going to appeal after appeal.” Interestingly, neutral arbitration is very much a player-friendly process that the NHLPA fought for. The idea is to take away any bias from the league by allowing a third party to review all of the facts independently. Yet, Cullen makes a good point that the ordeal is lengthy and not ideal optically either. Especially given that the Department of Player Safety is run mostly by former players, perhaps Cullen speaks on behalf of all players that in the next CBA they would be better off with eliminating the independent arbitrator.
  • And what of the arbitrator himself? Shyam Das has been a thorn in the side of the NHL, but likely won’t be for much longer. While an independent arbitrator, Das is employed by the league for his services. In overturning Wilson’s suspension, Das has now decided for the player in each of his three cases for the league: Wilson, Nashville Predators forward Austin Watson, and then-Calgary Flames defenseman Dennis Wideman. Each of those three cases were high-profile and concerning a sensitive subject; Wideman attacked a referee, Watson was accused of domestic assault, and Wilson is the league’s most notorious “thug”. In each instance, the NHL would have very much liked to have seen their decision hold, only to have Das contradict them. Das was fired by Major League Baseball for similarly one-sided decisions and his time with the NHL will likely end the same way.

Luke Opilka Retires From Professional Hockey

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The St. Louis Blues hoped they had found a future NHL netminder when they selected Luke Opilka in the fifth round of the 2015 draft, but instead he won’t even enter their minor league system. Opilka has decided to retire from hockey after his second major hip surgery in the last two years. The 21-year old hasn’t played since the 2016-17 season when he was with the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL.

Opilka was once an up-and-coming prospect from the USNDTP, and even won a gold medal with Team USA at the U18 World Championship. While his numbers weren’t outstanding, there was plenty of potential in his long frame and quick reflexes. He was ranked the 12th best goaltender in the 2015 draft, and ended up heading to the OHL after being selected by St. Louis.

Struggles mounted while in the OHL, and now two hip surgeries deep he’ll call it quits. He’ll leave the Blues organization with a simple thank you:

I want to thank the St. Louis Blues, my hometown team, for drafting me and giving me an opportunity to pursue my dream. Unfortunately, my career ended sooner than I hoped, but I’m excited to continue my education and begin a new chapter in my life.

Central Notes: Predators, Saad, Kane, Schenn, Niederreiter

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With the recent re-signing of goaltender Pekka Rinne to a new extension with a no-movement clause, the Nashville Predators are likely to be heavily scouted over the next couple of years by the Seattle expansion team, who are expected to have their own expansion draft in 2020, assuming everything goes as planned. If that’s the case, then the Predators might be forced to expose young goaltender Juuse Saros in the expansion draft if they can’t convince Rinne to waive his NMC.

In a mailbag series, The Athletic’s Adam Vingan (subscription required) writes that with the expansion rules expected to be the same as Vegas, the Predators will likely be expected to protect all four of their top defensemen (assuming Roman Josi agrees to an extension), which might limit the amount of forwards they can protect down the road, suggesting that Seattle will either get a top-rated goaltender (in Saros or a willing Rinne) or receive a top-end forward to jumpstart their new franchise.

  • Chicago Blackhawks forward Brandon Saad has had a rough go of it this week in practice. He took a puck to the face in practice Wednesday that required a lengthy trip to the dentist, according to Scott Powers of The Athletic (subscription required). Now, Chicago Sun-Times’ Mark Lazerus reports that Saad then injured his arm in practice Friday, forcing him to miss today’s game and he is considered day-to-day for Monday’s game at Carolina.
  • Sticking with the Blackhawks, Lazerus also points out that new head coach Jeremy Colliton has already pressed Patrick Kane into a big role. Already the biggest leader in minutes on the forward line, Kane played the most he’s ever played in a regular-season game, a record 27:43 Thursday against Carolina. He followed that up with 24:33 against Philadelphia Saturday. “It’s fun,” Kane said. “It’s always fun coming back to the bench after a shift and hearing your name called up for the next shift to go out. It’s exciting. I like it, it gets me into the game, too. I’ve actually been trying to figure out how to get that excitement and energy into my game in the first and second period, because there’s some crazy stats where I’ve got way more goals this year in the third period than any other period.”
  • It looks like St. Louis Blues center Brayden Schenn will miss his third-straight game Sunday with what is believed to be a strained oblique muscle, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He did practice Saturday, suggesting he’s getting closer to a return. “I would say that he’s doubtful for tomorrow, but encouraging that he’s getting closer,” coach Mike Yeo said. “He looked good in practice today. I talked to him afterward. We just have to make sure we’re smart.”
  • The Minnesota Wild’s Nino Niederreiter finally broke a 27-goal scoring streak Thursday when he scored his first goal of the season and was quick to point out that staying positive was the most challenging thing for him while waiting out that streak. He said the mental challenges were taxing on him and his play, according to the StarTribune’s Sarah McLellan. “That’s the toughest thing, staying positive in those moments,” Niederreiter said. “But it makes it a lot easier that we’ve been doing well, and as long as the team is winning, it makes it a lot easier. But it was definitely frustrating at some points.”

Robert Bortuzzo Not Skating Yet After Re-Evaluation Period Passes

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  • The initial diagnosis for Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo was that he’d be re-evaluated in two weeks as he is currently out with a lower-body injury. That mark quietly passed on Thursday and there still hasn’t been any further update from the team.  However, Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch mentions that Bortuzzo has yet to resume skating, suggesting that his return to the St. Louis lineup is far from imminent.  The 29-year-old has played in just five games this season but with Jay Bouwmeester continuing to deal with nagging hip issues, they will certainly be looking forward to his return.

Joel Quenneville Expected To Return To Coaching

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When the Chicago Blackhawks made the surprising decision to fire legendary coach Joel Quenneville on Tuesday morning, it wasn’t clear if he would return to the NHL to try again with another team. Quenneville is still owed the remainder of his $6MM salary this year and next, and could decide to retire as the coach with the second most wins all-time. Speculation immediately exploded over whether his availability would force another team to make a change behind the bench, and other coaches chimed in to say how easily he’d find work if he wanted it. Mike Babcock from the Toronto Maple Leafs said as much to Kristen Shilton of TSN:

Good man. I imagine those slopes in Denver are going to get worn out. Good friend, good coach, three Cups. He’s going to go in the Hockey Hall of Fame. I don’t know what else you say about him. If he wants to work, he’ll work.

If he wants to work, he’ll work. That was obvious given Quenneville’s record, but it wasn’t clear if he did in fact want to get back into the game right away. Yesterday, Scott Powers of The Athletic released an all-encompassing notebook (subscription required) on the Blackhawks situation and included a note from a source that indicated Quenneville “definitely plans to coach again” but isn’t rushing into anything. Interestingly, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic made an offhand mention of the upcoming Seattle job on the latest edition of Insider Trading, after reporting that Dave Tippett will be taking an executive position with the potential expansion club, not a coaching one.

That Seattle job would certainly be appealing to a coach like Quenneville, but it would mean he has to wait on the sidelines for at least a few seasons at watch as the team is built. It would also likely mean turning down countless opportunities in the NHL, especially as teams start to move on from those coaches on the hot seat.

Much of the speculation regarding those feeling the heat has centered on Mike Yeo of the St. Louis Blues since he admitted that his “job should be in question” recently. The Blues have struggled to find much success this season and obviously have ties to Quenneville given his eight years behind the bench in St. Louis. The Blues reached the playoffs in every season Quenneville coached them, but never could get to the Stanley Cup Finals.

At this point, St. Louis, Seattle and any other team out there in connection with Quenneville are just possibilities, as the coach has been extremely quiet since the firing except to offer his thanks to the organization and players for many years of success. For now, we’ll have to just wait and see where his next landing spot is, and coaches all around the league will have to look over their shoulder now and again.

Robert Thomas To Remain With St. Louis And Officially Begin His Entry-Level Deal

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The Blues will be keeping center Robert Thomas past the nine-game threshold.  Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes that the 19-year-old is slated to suit up on Friday against San Jose, marking his tenth game of the season.  As a result, his entry-level contract will officially kick in.

Thomas was highly sought after in trade talks dating back to last season but St. Louis wanted to hold onto him.  He hasn’t made a significant impact thus far as he primarily has played on the fourth line when he has been in the lineup but has still collected four assists through his first nine games despite averaging just 9:35 per night.  He also has held his own at the faceoff dot, winning 47.7% of his draws.

Given that he’s ineligible to play in the AHL (which, from a development perspective, is arguably the most ideal scenario), St. Louis was forced to choose between keeping him up even though his role is rather limited or sending him back to Hamilton of the OHL where he doesn’t have a whole lot left to prove.  Head coach Mike Yeo indicated that he’s pleased with Thomas’ progress thus far so he’ll get the opportunity to stick around for now.

As a result of this, the next threshold to watch for will be 40 games on the active roster, a number that includes time spent as a healthy scratch.  If Thomas makes it to that one, he will accrue a season towards unrestricted free agency, meaning that he will be eligible to hit the open market at 26 instead of 27.

Jay Bouwmeester Still Dealing With Hip Soreness

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  • Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester was listed as a scratch on Tuesday but head coach Mike Yeo indicated to reporters, including Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, that Bouwmeester is still dealing with hip soreness. Accordingly, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him sit for a few games to see if the rest helps with the pain.  It has been a rough couple of seasons for the veteran on the injury front and hip troubles cost him the final 16 games of 2017-18.  Louis has some defensive depth but given Bouwmeester’s situation, it’s unlikely they’ll want to deal from that anytime soon.

2006 NHL Draft Take Two: Twenty-Fifth Overall Pick

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Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.” Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended. For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.

Our look back at the 2006 NHL Entry Draft is now in full swing as we poll the PHR community to see who would have been selected in the first round and in what order knowing what we know now. Through the first 21 picks, we’ve already seen potential Hall of Fame players switch teams, and multiple captains move up and down the draft board.

Here are the results of the redraft so far:

1st Overall: Jonathan Toews (St. Louis Blues)
2nd Overall: Claude Giroux (Pittsburgh Penguins)
3rd Overall: Nicklas Backstrom (Chicago Blackhawks)
4th Overall: Brad Marchand (Washington Capitals)
5th Overall: Phil Kessel (Boston Bruins)
6th Overall: Jordan Staal (Columbus Blue Jackets)
7th Overall: Milan Lucic (New York Islanders)
8th Overall: Kyle Okposo (Phoenix Coyotes)
9th Overall: Erik Johnson (Minnesota Wild)
10th Overall: Derick Brassard (Florida Panthers)
11th Overall: Bryan Little (Los Angeles Kings)
12th Overall: Nick Foligno (Atlanta Thrashers)
13th Overall: Semyon Varlamov (Toronto Maple Leafs)
14th Overall: Artem Anisimov (Vancouver Canucks)
15th Overall: Michael Grabner (Tampa Bay Lightning)
16th Overall: Patrik Berglund (San Jose Sharks)
17th Overall: Jeff Petry (Los Angeles Kings)
18th Overall: Jonathan Bernier (Colorado Avalanche)
19th Overall: Mathieu Perreault (Anaheim Ducks)
20th Overall: Michael Frolik (Montreal Canadiens)
21st Overall: Cal Clutterbuck (New York Rangers)
22nd Overall: James Reimer (Philadelphia Flyers)
23rd Overall: Leo Komarov (Washington Capitals)
24th Overall: Steve Mason (Buffalo Sabres)

Mason gets a strong boost from his original draft position of 69th overall (to Columbus).  He made quite the impact as a 20-year-old in Columbus, ascending to the number one role with the Blue Jackets without spending much time in the minors (just three games).  He played in 61 games in 2008-09 (tied for a career high), winning 33 (also tied for a career high) while posting a league-best ten shutouts (a career high as well).  That earned him the Calder Trophy for Rookie of the Year and he looked like the next elite goalie in the league.

Things didn’t go so well after that, however.  He struggled in the next three years as their starter, posting save percentages between .894 and .901, well below the league average.  That helped pave the way for his departure to Philadelphia in April of 2013 where the Flyers hoped he could become their starter of the future.

For a time, he was able to somewhat live up to that expectation.  In his first three seasons there, he posted the best three full-season save percentages of his career but had a losing record in that span as well.  He stayed with them through the 2016-17 campaign before moving on to Winnipeg in free agency.

His first (and only) season with the Jets didn’t go well as concussion troubles limited him to just 13 games and he didn’t fare particularly well in those appearances.  As a result, Winnipeg dealt away Joel Armia to Montreal as an incentive to take on the final year of Mason’s contract which they subsequently bought out.  While Mason has had a couple of offers to be a short-term backup, he has turned those down and is content with being at the end of his career if he can’t land more of a regular position.

As things stand, Mason leads all goaltenders from the 2006 draft class in games played (476) while posting a 2.70 GAA and a .911 SV%.  If he is indeed at the end of his career, he’s had a good run.

It would have been interesting to see how Mason would have fared in Buffalo where he would have been behind Ryan Miller for several years to start his career.  That would have given him the opportunity to develop at the minor league level at a slower pace instead of being thrown into the fire but would he have had as successful of a run?

We now move to the twenty-fifth selection which was held by St. Louis.  They made a good pick initially, selecting center Patrik Berglund who went to San Jose at the number sixteen slot in this series so they’ll have to take someone else here.  Who should they take?  Have your say by voting in the poll below.

Mobile users, click here to vote.

Edmonton Activates Ty Rattie From Injured Reserve

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Entering the 2018-19 season, forward Ty Rattie was labeled as one of the players who could make or break the Edmonton Oilers’ season. Any determination of Rattie’s impact on the campaign was put on hold in mid-October, when the 25-year-old was placed on the injured reserve with an undisclosed injury. Expected to be out until later this month, it came as somewhat of a surprise this afternoon when the Oilers announced that Rattie has been activated from the IR and is set to return to the lineup. In a corresponding move, rookie forward Cooper Marody has been returned to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors.

After an incredibly productive preseason, Rattie was handed a coveted first-line slot on the right wing of superstar center Connor McDavid. It was a career-defining opportunity for Rattie, who has been little more than minor league depth thus far in his pro career. A second-round pick of the St. Louis Blues in 2011, Rattie played in only 30 NHL games in parts of four seasons in St. Louis, recording eight points. He was lost on waivers briefly to the Carolina Hurricanes in 2016-17 and contributed two points in five games. Rattie opted to sign with Edmonton as a free agent in 2017 and played in a career-high 14 games last season, posting a career best 15:28 ATOI. It was far from regular NHL action, but was the first step toward taking a permanent role with the Oilers, and he made the most of it by posting nine points. Expected to take a step forward this year, Rattie notched a goal and an assist in his five games prior to the injury. While he’s not quite back at square one, he may very well have to work his way back into top minutes and first-line consideration.

If Rattie can find his scoring touch quickly, he should be back in the top-six as soon as possible. The Oilers have struggled with secondary scoring this season, with only McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins holding more than seven points on the year. The platoon on the right side is an especially troublesome situation, with Alex Chiasson, Drake Caggiula, Zack Kassian, and Jesse Puljujarvi all failing to make the most of their opportunities. Rattie’s addition would be a welcome addition to the competition for production and consistency at right wing.

Marody, a first-year pro out of the University of Michigan, skated in two games for the Oilers during Rattie’s absence. While he was limited to under nine minutes of ice time per night and held scoreless, he didn’t look out of place at the NHL level. A sixth-round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers acquired for a third-round pick last spring, Marody’s stock is clearly on the rise and he should see more action in Edmonton before the end of the season.

Mike Condon, Ben Street Placed On Waivers

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Thursday: Both Condon and Street have cleared waivers, and can now be assigned to the minor leagues.

Wednesday: After a tough night in Arizona, Mike Condon has been placed on waivers by the Ottawa Senators according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Joining Condon today is Ben Street of the Anaheim Ducks, while Jakub Jerabek has cleared and has been assigned to the minor leagues by the St. Louis Blues.

Condon has gone through quite a disastrous spell since signing a three-year, $7.2MM contract with the Senators in June of 2017. That summer he was coming off a very successful campaign in which he recorded a .914 save percentage and helped Ottawa get all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals. Since, he’s recorded just a .898 save percentage and won just five of his 28 starts. His and fellow netminder Craig Anderson’s disappointing 2017-18 season were a huge part of why the Senators fell to the bottom of the standings, and now there’s some question about whether or not he’ll be able to find his game again.

It’s not like Condon is at the beginning of his career, just dealing with a bump in the road. He’ll turn 29 this season, and could very well be on his way out of the league if he can’t turn things around. For now, he’ll likely clear waivers due to his hefty contract and try to work his way back to relevancy in the minor leagues. John Shannon of Sportsnet reports that it will be either veteran goaltender Mike McKenna or prospect Filip Gustavsson that will be called up to replace Condon in Ottawa and back up Anderson.

For Street, it’s a numbers game as the Ducks try to find a way to right the ship in the early part of the season. Patrick Eaves is close to a return, and with Kalle Kossila and Kiefer Sherwood making there return Anaheim needed to send someone back down. Street will likely join Sam Steel in the minor leagues, though was still skating with the team today.

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