Tendon Issue Delaying Bouwmeester's Recovery
- Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester hasn’t started skating since suffering a fractured ankle back in mid-September and Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic (subscription required) suggests that a tendon issue may be causing the recovery to go longer than expected. There was no initial timetable given for how long he might be out of the lineup so it’s difficult to tell if he has suffered a setback. When healthy, the 34-year-old is a big part of their back end, logging over 22 minutes per game in each of his five seasons with the team.
Wade Megan Clears Waivers, Assigned To Chicago Wolves
- Wade Megan cleared waivers for the St. Louis Blues and was assigned to the Chicago Wolves. Megan had been placed on waivers when Alex Steen was activated from the injured reserve, and had only played one game for the Blues. He’ll now return to Chicago where he played last season, breaking out for 66 points in 73 games. That kind of production had never been seen from the 27-year old previously, leading to him being a legitimate depth option for the Blues this year.
St. Louis Blues Place Wade Megan On Waivers, Activate Alex Steen
After sitting out the first few weeks with a hand injury, Alex Steen has been activated by the St. Louis Blues and will be in the lineup tonight when they take on the Chicago Blackhawks. To make room for the returning Steen, Wade Megan has been placed on waivers. Megan had played in just one game with the Blues, and will likely be assigned to the AHL should he clear waivers tomorrow.
Steen is an important part of the Blues’ forward group, and he’ll rejoin a team that has lost a pair of matches after going 4-0 to start the year. The team has struggled to find much secondary scoring this season, something that Steen will look to change. With his return, the forward depth should improve as players are slotted into more familiar roles. Still, with Patrik Berglund, Robby Fabbri and Zachary Sanford out long-term, the team will need to get more from their bottom-six.
Megan is an AHL veteran who made his NHL debut last season, but was never likely in the plans as much more than a depth option. His 2016-17 season was impressive, with 66 points for the Chicago Wolves, but he hasn’t been able to carry that scoring ability over to the next level. He’ll serve as a valuable extra piece waiting to get recalled should he make it through waivers.
Blues Notes: Steen, Dunn, Thompson, Stastny
Don’t be shocked if the St. Louis Blues put Alex Steen immediately onto the top line the moment he is healthy, which could be soon, according to The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford. Taking mailbag questions, the scribe writes that while most people, including himself, believed that Steen would come back to the team’s second line, the recent promotion of Samuel Blais might change things. The team believes that Blais might take off on the team’s second line. The 21-year-old prospect had a great preseason and started hot with the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage with three goals in two games. Rutherford believes that if Blais mixes in well with the second line, then the more likely option for Steen would be to move him to the first line with Vladimir Tarasenko and Paul Stastny. That would force Vladimir Sobotka to move down from the first line to the team’s third line, where the team has really struggled so far this year.
Steen, who scored 16 goals and 51 points a season ago broke his hand on Sept. 19 and is believed to be travelling with the team and close to returning to game action soon.
Other notes from Rutherford:
- The scribe writes that when defenseman Jay Bouwmeester returns, the team may be in for a tough decision. Bouwmeester, who is recovering from a fractured ankle, could come back within the next week or two, will force the team to cut a defenseman. While Rutherford writes that rookie blueliner Vince Dunn has been impressive through five games, including scoring his first goal and putting up five shots in his last game and looking solid on defense. However, it is likely the team will send Dunn down rather than bench defenseman Carl Gunnarsson when Bouwmeester returns.
- Rutherford adds that former 2016 first-rounder Tage Thompson‘s demotion is probably a good thing. He writes that Thompson is being groomed to be a top-six forward, not a bottom-six forward, so his development is critical and more time in San Antonio makes more sense. The 19-year-old center, who was playing hockey for the University of Connecticut a year ago, has only 26 games of AHL experience (playoffs included). Despite being a big player, Rutherford writes he got pushed around quite a bit, which often happens to young, inexperienced players.
- The scribe also writes that he believes that this could very likely be Stastny’s last year in St. Louis, unless the 31-year-old center is willing to take a pay cut to remain with the team. Stastny, who is in the final year of a four-year, $28MM deal, is currently making $7MM this season. Rutherford believes that while the team will likely keep their options open, the Blues will likely look at the free agent market first before deciding whether to re-sign Stastny. Stastny’s numbers have progressively been dropping over the last few years, with last year’s 40-point season being one of the lowest of his career. He is faring well so far with two goals and four assists in five games.
Minor Transactions: 10/13/17
Today’s minor news and notes from around the league:
- The Florida Panthers have loaned forward Denis Malgin to the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds, per a team release. Malgin, 20, was not expected to play much of a role for the Panthers in 2016-17, but ended up skating in 47 games and recording 10 points. This year, however, Malgin has yet to play to suit up for any of Florida’s first three games. With 2017 first-round pick Owen Tippett in the same boat, the Panthers needed to free up some opportunity and sending Malgin back to Springfield is no surprise. The Swiss forward was nearly a point-per-game player in the minors last season and can continue honing his skills while waiting for another opportunity to arise in Florida.
- Luc Snuggerud remains sidelined after a preseason upper-body injury, but now he’ll be sitting on the sidelines in Rockford rather than Chicago. The Blackhawks announced today that the young, offensive defenseman has been reassigned to the AHL Ice Hogs. Snuggerud is no good to the ‘Hawks injured, but even if he is ready to go by the end of his original three-week prognosis, Chicago has no space in the lineup for him to play next week or any time in the near future. The Nebraska-Omaha product is in his first full pro season, but if he can produce at a similar rate in the AHL as he did in the NCAA, then Chicago will have him back up sooner rather than later.
- After clearing waivers today, Calgary Flames beat reporter Wes Gilbertson says that Marek Hrivik is on his way to the AHL. The free agent addition will join the Stockton Heat, a squad already full of talented young forwards such as Hunter Shinkaruk, Mark Jankowksi, and Spencer Foo. Hrivek will not only have to find his place on the new club, but also show that he is more worthy of the next Calgary call-up than some of his younger, more exciting new teammates.
- With the Minnesota Wild facing some major injury questions up front. Marcus Foligno suffered a serious blow to the face in a fight with Chicago’s John Hayden last night, while Zach Parise and Mikael Granlund are day-to-day with lingering issues and the conditions of Charlie Coyle and Nino Niederreiter are also drawing some interest. There’s no easy solution is all five of those forwards are beyond playing condition, but for now the team has announced the call-up of rookie Luke Kunin from the AHL. Defenseman Mike Reilly was demoted to AHL Iowa to make room. Kunin, Minnesota’s 2016 first-round pick, decided to leave the University of Wisconsin after just two years to pursue his pro career and will almost certainly be rewarded with his NHL debut tomorrow. An intelligent, well-rounded center, it should come as no surprise if Kunin impresses in his role as an injury replacement and manages to keep a spot on the team going forward.
- Another Central Division team has swapped a pair of players, as the St. Louis Blues announced that forward Tage Thompson has been reassigned to the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage, with fellow forward Sammy Blais getting the call-up. The two players are about as different as can be. Thompson is a 6’5″ center from Phoenix, Arizona who was drafted by the Blues in the first round in 2016 and played the past two seasons at the University of Connecticut before jumping right into the NHL this year. Blais is a 5’10” winger from Quebec who was drafted in the sixth round in 2014 and put up outstanding numbers in the QMJHL before playing a full AHL season last year. Yet, it’s Blais getting the call after an impressive preseason and a largely invisible first four games for Thompson. As the season goes on, watch for these two to be switched in and out depending on the personnel and style needs of St. Louis.
St. Louis Announces Affiliate, Colorado Awarded AHL Franchise
Though it had been reported much earlier this summer, the San Antonio Rampage finally officially announced their new five-year partnership with the St. Louis Blues. The Blues are operating this season without a primary AHL affiliate, after the Chicago Wolves signed a new deal with the Vegas Golden Knights. The Colorado Avalanche, who are currently affiliated with the Rampage, will be partnered next season with the Colorado Eagles, the AHL’s 31st franchise.
For St. Louis, this season has already been a tough one to operate through as they split their prospects between several teams around the league. Jordan Binnington, for example, was originally assigned to the Chicago Wolves before a logjam of Vegas goaltenders forced them to find a him a new home. Binnington is now playing in Providence with the Bruins’ affiliate. They do have many players already in San Antonio, getting used to the city and facility. The team will gain control of hockey operations and the coaching staff next year, giving them an increased ability to develop their prospects.
San Antonio was one of the AHL’s worst teams last year, registering just a 27-42-7 record and missing the playoffs for the second straight season. In fact, the team has won just a single playoff series in their entire existence, something the Blues organization will look to change from day one. Already their prospects have made their presence felt, with Samuel Blais and Jordan Schmaltz scoring to lead them to a win in their opener. Schmaltz, a first-round pick of the Blues scored the winner and is expected to be a leader on the team’s blueline this season.
For Colorado, this is not a loss. While they’ve had a fine relationship with San Antonio since 2015 (the team previously had affiliations with Florida and Arizona), getting the Eagles franchise is a solid step forward. Their primary minor league affiliate will now be right next door—the Eagles currently play in Loveland, CO—giving them even better coaching, development and scouting opportunities. The Eagles were previously an ECHL franchise, who won the Kelly Cup as league champions last season.
Robert Bortuzzo Receives Maximum Fine
The NHL Department of Player Safety was working quickly today. During the matinee match-up between the St. Louis Blues and New York Islanders, Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo was handed a double-minor for repeated cross-checks to the back of Isles forward Brock Nelson. (video) Not long after the end of the game, Player Safety announced that Bortuzzo would be fined $3,091.40, the maximum fine under the CBA.
While a seemingly random and not overwhelming amount, the fine is not without some effect. Bortuzzo’s salary for the 2017-18 season is just $1.15MM, which prorated to an 82-game schedule, is about $14K a night. Bortuzzo not only served his four minute penalty this afternoon, he also lost nearly a quarter of his game check. It’s not a major loss, but then again for a simple cross-checking penalty following an admittedly major hit from Nelson, it does send a message. The NHL is working toward cleaning up the game and even a small fine such as this may help to eliminate a violent, pointless penalty like Bortuzzo’s.
Nevertheless, St. Louis – and Bortuzzo – will take a fine over a suspension any day. With five starters already on the injured reserve, including defenseman Jay Bouwmeester, the Blues can ill afford another loss. Bortuzzo also saves that other 75% of his per game that he would otherwise lose with a one-game suspension for example. With that said, the bruising blue liner will have to watch his step for the remainder of the season; chances are Player Safety won’t be as nice to a repeat offender.
Steen Closing In On Returning To Practice
- Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that St. Louis Blues forward Alex Steen is closing in on returning to practice with the team during their four-game road trip that starts on Monday. Steen, who broke his hand on Sept. 19 when he was slashed by the Stars’ Antoine Roussel, has been skating on his own prior to some practices, but is closer to rejoining the team than defenseman Jay Bouwmeester, who is recovering from a fractured ankle he suffered in a preseason game on Sept. 17. However, Thomas writes that even Bouwmeester is inching towards a return, but Steen has the advantage.
Klim Kostin Assigned To San Antonio Despite Injury
- Yesterday, despite being injured Klim Kostin was assigned to the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL. Kostin is working his way back from a lower-body injury suffered in camp, and will likely be asked to start in the AHL before getting another crack at the St. Louis Blues’ lineup. Kostin was impressive all summer after being drafted at the end of the first round, but is still just 18 years old. Of course, the Blues won’t have much say in how he’s deployed in San Antonio, as the AHL squad is actually the affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche for one more season. In 2018-19, St. Louis will be taking control after signing a long-term partnership with the club.
Jaromir Jagr Signs With Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames have officially signed Jaromir Jagr to a one-year contract worth $1MM, with potential bonuses up to an additional $1MM for games played. Not only will suiting up for the entire season earn him extra cash, but the 45-year old legend is just 56 games shy of Gordie Howe‘s all-time record of 1,767 NHL games. If healthy, he’s expected to break that this season.
$1+1MM is a relatively small amount for a player who is still capable of contributing offensively. Jagr has always been a possession monster, able to protect the puck incredibly well with his big frame and distribute pucks from behind the net. His goal total of 16 last year, though disappointing, was due in large part to a career-worst shooting percentage that is almost sure to rebound.
Signing Jagr likely means a reduction of minutes for Troy Brouwer, who was largely disappointing after signing a big contract in free agency. Brouwer came over from the St. Louis Blues on a four-year, $18MM contract but registered the lowest point total of his career. With Micheal Ferland expected to take on a much bigger role with the top unit, and Jagr likely being slotted in on the right side of the third line, Brouwer will be relegated to fourth-line duties most nights.
The Flames have had an impressive offseason, addressing goaltending and defensive issues by bringing in Mike Smith, Eddie Lack and Travis Hamonic. Beyond that, the team can still expect some progression for young forwards Sean Monahan, Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk. If they continue to play to their potential, Jagr could be a piece that helps them get over the top. His value both five on five and with the man advantage will be a big upgrade for Calgary, though there are still downsides to his play.
The biggest knock against Jagr is the speed at which he plays the game. No longer able to beat defenders with his skating ability, he nonetheless can create chances off the rush with skill alone. The apparent lack of defensive ability is usually counteracted by the down-low possession style he and linemates play, keeping the puck nearly 200 feet from their own net on most shifts. The Flames currently have more than $3.6MM in cap space, which would leave them able to make a move in-season should they find themselves in competition for the Stanley Cup.
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