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Troy Brouwer Clears Waivers

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Monday: Brouwer has cleared waivers and was assigned to the AHL. Armstrong explained in the release that the veteran forward will take a few days to decide whether he will report to the minor league club.

Sunday: With the expected return of forward Sammy Blais, the St. Louis Blues have placed veteran forward Troy Brouwer on waivers, according to The Athletic’s James Mirtle.

Coincidentally, it was after Blais underwent wrist surgery in November and was declared out at least 10 weeks, that the team brought in veterans Jamie McGinn and Brouwer on professional tryouts. McGinn was released from his PTO after a week, the team signed Brouwer to a one-year, two-way contract. Brouwer has mainly served as the team’s emergency backup, having appeared in 10 games this season and he has not made an appearance with the Blues since Dec. 18. He averaged just 9:56 in ATOI and scored one goal and 19 hits in those 10 games. The 34-year-old veteran hasn’t made an appearance in the AHL since playing five games in the 2008-09 season, having played 836 NHL games between the two.

Blais is expected to join the team on their upcoming four-game road trip. While it’s not known if he’s ready to jump in the lineup, general manager Doug Armstrong said he’s close enough. “I would say that he’s skating well now and looking like he’s ready to go, and hopefully coming out of the break he’ll be _ if not available in Game 1, certainly available on our road trip,” Armstrong said.

Trade Rumors: Ducks, Senators, DeMelo, Duclair

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When action resumes following the All-Star break, it is the unofficial start of NHL Trade Deadline season. In fact, with a relatively early deadline day of February 24th this year, things should pick up sooner rather than later. The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch came prepared to handle the transition from All-Star exit to trade mania, reporting on a number of situations in his latest “Insider Trading” column. Garrioch begins with the further shift in the status quo of the Anaheim Ducks. Anaheim began the season hoping to return to being contenders with a talented mix of veterans and youngsters. However, it has not played out that way on the ice, as the Ducks hold the second-worst record in the Western Conference. Recently, a report came out that the team was willing to use their cap space to take on bad contracts if it meant that they could add prospects and picks in return. Garrioch now reports that the team is taking it one step further, perhaps in response to winning just three of their past 15 games. He hears from multiple league sources that the Ducks are preparing for a full rebuild and are at least willing to listen on just about every player. For a team with so few valuable impending free agents – Michael Del Zotto and Derek Grant lead the way – this shift in the status quo could make for a much bigger deadline in Anaheim. Ondrej Kase, who has previously been rumored to have fallen out of favor with the team, could be one possible casualty, as could defenseman Josh Manson, who has recently been linked to a few other teams. What about Rickard Rakell, one of the best value contracts in the league and a player that any contender would like to get their hands on? Or long-term players like Cam Fowler, Adam Henrique, and Jakob Silfverberg? Franchise faces Ryan Getzlaf and John Gibson and top defender Hampus Lindholm are likely off the table, but nearly anyone else in Anaheim over the age of 24 appears to be a candidate to move at the right price.

  • Garrioch mentions a number of available players, many of whom won’t comes as much of a surprise, including L.A.’s Tyler Toffoli and Alec Martinez, San Jose’s Brenden Dillon, and the Rangers’ Chris Kreider (if the team can’t re-sign him). However, he states definitively that the New Jersey Devils’ impending UFA’s are also up for grabs. This means Andy Greene, Sami Vatanen, and Wayne Simmonds, three players who many were unsure the Devils would part with, could very well be on new teams in a month’s time. As for teams in the mix, Garrioch claims that the Islanders and Jets are leading the search for defense, while the Bruins, Blues, Flames, and Coyotes are the most eager to add forwards.
  • The Ottawa Senators have ten impending UFA’s on the roster, but not all of them will survive the trade deadline. Garrioch reports that GM Pierre Dorion plans to sit down with each one before the deadline and discuss the possibility of an extension before putting them on the block. At this point in their rebuild, the Senators cannot afford to let valuable players walk away as free agents, meaning the likes of Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Vladislav Namestnikov, Ron Hainsey, Mark Borowiecki, and Dylan DeMelo and more need to have made a decision on their commitment to Ottawa soon or they could be sent packing.
  • On the DeMelo front in particular, Garrioch reports that the Florid Panthers are the leading suitor for the 26-year-old defenseman, should Ottawa opt to move him. He mentions that that the Carolina Hurricanes are another team with definite interest. Garrioch adds that Florida is also looking for a backup goalie, which could potentially put former Panther Craig Anderson on their radar.
  • As for one player who has made up his mind on his future with Ottawa, All-Star Anthony Duclair tells Sportsnet’s Luke Fox that he hopes to re-sign long-term with the Senators. The 24-year-old has excelled since arriving in Ottawa late last season and wants to continue to play a central role for the team through their rebuild:

I just want to focus and really end the season on a positive note like I did last year, and really make a statement to the management and the coaching staff that I want to be a big part of this rebuild. I’m still a young guy. When the change is gonna happen, when Ottawa’s gonna become a contender, I want to be part of that. So I’m working as hard as I can.

2020 NHL All-Star Skills Participants Announced

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Before Saturday’s All-Star Game three-on-three tournament, the NHL’s best will take the ice on Friday night in the annual All-Star Skills event. There has been considerable hype around this year’s competition, given both the new “Shooting Stars” event, in which players will fire the puck at targets on the ice from platforms in the stands, and the participation of stars from the women’s game, including their own three-on-three scrimmage. Now, the league has announced who specifically will be taking part in each event, both new and classic. Below is the lineup for each event:

Fastest Skater

Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres
Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders
Chris Kreider, New York Rangers
Anthony Duclair, Ottawa Senators
Travis Konecny, Philadelphia Flyers
Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks

Save Streak

David Rittich, Calgary Flames
Tristan Jarry, Pittsburgh Penguins
Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues
Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning
Frederik Andersen, Toronto Maple Leafs
Jacob Markstrom, Vancouver Canucks
Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals
Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets

Accuracy Shooting

Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes
Tyler Bertuzzi, Detroit Red Wings
Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers
Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida Panthers
Nico Hischier, New Jersey Devils
Tomas Hertl, San Jose Sharks
Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues
Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg Jets

Hardest Shot

Mark Giordano, Calgary Flames
Seth Jones, Columbus Blue Jackets
Shea Weber, Montreal Canadiens
Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks
John Carlson, Washington Capitals

Shooting Stars

David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins
Matthew Tkachuk, Calgary Flames
Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars
Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators
David Perron, St. Louis Blues
Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues
Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs
American Women’s Elite All-Star (TBD)
Canadian Women’s Elite All-Star (TBD)

Women’s Three-On-Three

Team Canada: Meghan Agosta, Mélodie Daoust, Ann-Renée Desbiens, Renata Fast, Laura Fortino, Rebecca Johnston, Sarah Nurse, Marie-Philip Poulin, Natalie Spooner, Blayre Turnbull

Team USA: Kacey Bellamy, Alex Carpenter, Kendall Coyne Schofield, Brianna Decker, Amanda Kessel, Hilary Knight, Jocelyn Lamoureux-Davidson, Annie Pankowski, Alex Rigsby Cavallini, Lee Stecklein

All the action kicks off at 7:00pm local time in St. Louis, with coverage from NBCSN in the U.S and CBC, SN, and TVAS in Canada.

PHWA Announce 2019-20 Midseason Awards

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Though they have no bearing on the eventual winners, each season the Professional Hockey Writers Association vote for the Midseason Awards to give fans an idea of who is leading the charge around the NHL at the halfway point. Today those ballots have been tallied and the midseason trophies were given out:

Hart Trophy – Most valuable player

1. Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
2. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
3. David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins

Norris Trophy – Best defenseman

1. John Carlson, Washington Capitals
2. Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
3. Dougie Hamilton, Carolina Hurricanes

Selke Trophy – Best defensive forward

1. Sean Couturier, Philadelphia Flyers
2. Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins
3. Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues

Calder Trophy – Best rookie

1. Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
2. Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks
3. Victor Olofsson, Buffalo Sabres

Lady Byng Trophy – Sportsmanship & gentlemanly conduct

1. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
2. Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
3. Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues

Vezina Trophy – Best goaltender

1. Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
2. Ben Bishop, Dallas Stars
3. Darcy Kuemper, Arizona Coyotes

Jack Adams Award – Best coach

1. Mike Sullivan, Pittsburgh Penguins
2. John Tortorella, Columbus Blue Jackets
3. Craig Berube, St. Louis Blues

Jim Gregory GM of the Year Award

1. Joe Sakic, Colorado Avalanche
2. John Chayka, Arizona Coyotes
3. Doug Armstrong, St. Louis Blues

Rod Langway Award – Best defensive defenseman

1. Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes
2. Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
3. Roman Josi, Nashville Predators

Comeback Player of the Year Award

1. William Nylander, Toronto Maple Leafs
2. Anthony Duclair, Ottawa Senators
3. Max Pacioretty, Vegas Golden Knights

Minor Transactions: 01/19/20

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Following last night’s results, each of the top five teams in the Pacific Division are within one point of each other, top to bottom. The Vancouver Canucks stand alone in first place with 58 points, but with each of the following four teams sitting at 57. It is the first time since 1978 that the top five teams in an NHL division have all been separated by such a small margin after January 1. Of course, not all point totals are created equal; Vancouver and Edmonton have played just 49 games, while Calgary has 50 games played and Vegas and Arizona have 51. As such, the teams’ point percentages differ more than their total points, especially in the case of the Canucks versus the Knights and Coyotes. Nonetheless, it is still a tight division, and one that has been on the rise this season to now occupy both Western Conference wild card spots. The Central Division’s top three – St. Louis, Colorado, and Dallas – may all have better records than any team in the Pacific, but the rest of their division has been overtaken. The 57/58-point range at this point in the year is nothing to criticize either. There are currently eleven teams with 57 or 58 points, all of whom are in playoff positions or just outside. So while the likes of Washington, Boston, and St. Louis might make the high fifties look light, it is actually a great pace for a playoff hopeful. With such a tight postseason picture right now in both conferences, though specifically the Pacific Division, every game counts and every little move made impacts those games. Keep an eye on all of today’s transactions here, as you never know what minor move could shift a season:

  • Many of “today’s” minor transactions occurred late last night, as 17 different teams are entering their bye week and many shuffled their young players to minors once their final game came to an end. The Ottawa Senators are one such example. The team reassigned young forwards Drake Batherson, Filip Chlapik, and Rudolfs Balcers to AHL Belleville following last night’s win.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs were in a similar boat, sending Adam Brooks and Tim Liljegren back to the AHL’s Marlies following last night’s game, which was also Liljegren’s NHL debut. Brooks has played in seven games with the Maple Leafs so far in his rookie season.
  • The Arizona Coyotes also head on bye, and have demoted goalie Adin Hill, defenseman Kyle Capobianco, and forward Michael Chaput to the Tuscon Roadrunners. Hill has played a key role of late for the ‘Yotes, but the team hopes to have Darcy Kuemper and Antti Raanta at full strength on the other side of this time off.
  • The St. Louis Blues made just one minor move before hitting their bye, assigning young defenseman Niko Mikkola to the San Antonio Rampage. Mikkola has looked good on the ice if not on the score sheet in five games with the Blues this season.
  • Also making just a single demotion before the bye were the Dallas Stars, who sent forward Joel Kiviranta to AHL Texas. Kiviranta is still looking for his first NHL point after seeing limited ice time in seven NHL games and will benefit from an increased role in the minors for a while.
  • Other bye week moves being reported by CapFriendly include the Los Angeles Kings sending forwards Matt Luff and Jaret Anderson-Dolan to the Ontario Reign, the San Jose Sharks shifting Joachim Blichfeld, Joel Kellman, and Antti Suomela to the AHL Barracuda locker room, and the Montreal Canadiens reassigning veteran Dale Weise to the Laval Rocket.
  • This morning, the Buffalo Sabres announced their own flurry of moves, reassigning forwards Rasmus Asplund and Scott Wilson and defenseman Lawrence Pilut to the AHL’s Rochester Americans. While Pilut and Wilson have seen limited action, Asplund’s demotion is a bit surprising. Of every player sent down so far for their team’s bye week, none have played as many NHL games this season as Asplund’s 28. Yet, apparently the Sabres do not feel that he has earned the week off.
  • The Chicago Blackhawks announced they have assigned forward Dylan Sikura to the Rockford Ice Hogs of the AHL. The 24-year-old had a more successful run with Chicago this year as he scored his first NHL goal and three points in nine games. He’ll continue to work on his game in Rockford where he has nine goals and 16 points in 22 games.
  • The New Jersey Devils announced they have assigned three players to their AHL affiliate, the Binghamton Devils, including goaltender Cory Schneider and forwards Michael McLeod and Jesper Boqvist. It will be Boqvist’s first trip to the AHL as he made the New Jersey squad directly out of Sweden.
  • The Edmonton Oilers announced they are sending injured defenseman Matt Benning to the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL on a conditioning stint. The 25-year-old blueliner has been out with a head injury since Dec. 1. The team has been extra cautious with Benning as its his second head injury this season. With the Oilers off until Jan. 29, Benning’s best chance of getting game experience is with the Condors, who have four games coming up this week. Benning has appeared in just 24 games this season, averaging just 13:42 of ice time.

Central Notes: Kaprizov, Sissons, Ellis, Saad, Parayko

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In a Q&A on the KHL website, Gillian Kemmerer interviewed KHL star and Minnesota Wild prospect Kirill Kaprizov, who stated he is very interested in coming over and play in the NHL.

“I mean, what can I say? The [KHL] season is still on. I have to do my best here, but I do have a great desire to move over,” said Kaprizov. “I have to focus on the ongoing season. It’s the end of the regular season—I need to get ready for the playoffs and do well so that we win our second cup in a row. There’s still a lot to be done before I have to worry about it—such as making the World Championship team. There’s still time. I’ll think about it later.”

Kaprizov is expected to be a free agent this spring and could be a key piece in the Wild’s rebuilding effort if the team can convince him to sign an entry-level deal. The 22-year-old, who was a fifth-round pick in 2015, has been one of the KHL’s biggest stars as he has 23 goals and 45 points in 44 games this year with CSKA Moscow.

  • The Nashville Predators are hopeful that they might get a forward back into their lineup soon as head coach John Hynes said that the team hopes to get forward Colton Sissons back to practice after the all-star break, according to The Athletic’s Adam Vingan. The 26-year-old, out with a lower-body injury since Dec. 27, has been skating on his own.  Hynes also noted that the news isn’t as good on defenseman Ryan Ellis, who still hasn’t stepped on the ice. The blueliner suffered an upper-body injury after taking a hit from Dallas’ Corey Perry on Jan. 1. However, Hynes points out that Ellis, “he is on that protocol to come back,” although he did admit he didn’t know when Ellis might start skating again.
  • The Chicago Blackhawks announced they have activated Brandon Saad off of injured reserve and he is expected to play against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. The 27-year-old has missed 12 straight games with an ankle injury and hasn’t appeared in a game since Dec. 19. Saad has 11 goals and 19 points in 36 games. The winger was considered to be out until the all-star break, but practiced fully on Friday.
  • NHL.com’s Lou Korac reports that the St. Louis Blues could have defenseman Colton Parayko back after the all-star break. The 26-year-old defenseman has been out since Jan. 2 with an upper-body injury. Head coach Craig Berube said that he is “pretty confident” that Parayko will be ready to return when the team gets back from break.

 

Snapshots: Sabres, Blues, Hart

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The Buffalo Sabres have already made two trades in 2020, sending Marco Scandella to the Montreal Canadiens and flipping the return in order to bring in Michael Frolik. They’re not done according to GM Jason Botterill, who shared his thoughts on the trade deadline with WGR 550:

We want to make trades. We want to add to our group. People ask if we’re waiting for the trade deadline. We’re not waiting for the deadline. We’re trying to proceed with some things that haven’t materialized.

The Sabres have had trade rumors swirling them all season, from the glut of defenseman that were around in camp to players like Zach Bogosian and Evan Rodrigues asking out. If should come as no surprise now that they’re still looking to make moves—Botterill has completed 24 trades in under three years as GM of the team.

Four More Players Voted In To All-Star Game

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The vote is in as four more players were added to the NHL All-Star Game as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Toronto Maple Leafs’ Mitch Marner, Washington Capitals’ T.J. Oshie, St. Louis Blues’ David Perron and Vancouver Canucks’ Quinn Hughes were voted in by fans as the Last Men In.

For Marner, it will be the forward’s first all-star appearance despite posting a 94-point performance in the 2018-19 season. However, Marner remains on a similar pace and has impressive numbers once again. He currently has 11 goals and 42 points in just 34 games this season, putting him at a 100-goal pace had he not missed several weeks with a high ankle sprain. He joins Auston Matthews and Frederik Andersen as a third member of the team on the Atlantic Division roster.

Oshie will also be attending the all-star game for the first time in his career. The 33-year-old has had a solid career, but gets voted in as he has 18 goals through the first 45 games of the season and looks to be heading for a 30-goal pace. He will join defenseman John Carlsson and goaltender Braden Holtby. Alex Ovechkin was also supposed to go, but has opted to skip it for a second straight year. Head coach Todd Reirden is also going as coach of the Metro Division.

Perron is another addition for Stanley Cup champions, who will be the hosts of the all-star game, and gives the team four players on the Central Division squad. The 31-year-old looks to be heading for one of the best seasons of his career as he already has 19 goals through 45 games, including four overtime goals so far this year. Perron will be joined by forwards Ryan O’Reilly, defenseman Alex Pietrangelo and goaltender Jordan Binnington.

Finally, a defenseman was added in the Pacific Division, a much needed position for that squad, which had just Mark Giordano on the roster until the fan vote. Hughes has been a revelation for Vancouver and while fellow rookie Cale Makar gets most of the headlines, Hughes has posted four goals and 30 points in 43 games and is averaging 21:22 of ATOI in his first full season. He will join forward Elias Petersson and goaltender Jacob Markstrom as the Canucks’ representatives.

Minor Transactions: 01/06/20

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Another week starts in the NHL with four games on the schedule, including the expected debut of Ilya Kovalchuk with the Montreal Canadiens. Montreal will take on the Winnipeg Jets, who Kovalchuk never played for yet holds many all-time records. Those records of course were set when he was a member of the Atlanta Thrashers before the organization relocated, the real prime of Kovalchuk’s career. As the teams in action tonight prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves around the league.

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled Andrew Agozzino while sending Thomas Di Pauli to the minor leagues. Di Pauli made his NHL debut just a few days ago, but will now have to return to the AHL and wait for his next opportunity.
  • Niko Mikkola is on his way back to the NHL from the San Antonio Rampage, flipped for Jake Walman by the St. Lous Blues. Walman made his debut on Saturday night and played just over 11 minutes, but will be replaced by Mikkola who is still hoping to get into an NHL lineup for the first time. The Blues play the San Jose Sharks tomorrow night and will try to get back on track after three consecutive losses.
  • Steven Kampfer has been recalled by the Boston Bruins to serve as an extra defenseman as they head on the road. The Bruins will play the Nashville Predators tomorrow, trying to crack their own three-game losing streak and stay above the pushing Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning.
  • Dalton Smith has been sent back to the AHL after just 86 seconds of NHL ice time. The veteran minor league forward was given a contract with the Sabres recently but he’ll have to head back to the Rochester Americans for the time being.
  • Joel Kiviranta is back with the Dallas Stars after a short trip to the AHL. The 23-year old forward has already been involved in three transactions since the start of the year, moving up and down between the two leagues.

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