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Playoff Puzzle: Western Goaltending Experience

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Corey Crawford must feel like an old man these days. When the Chicago Blackhawks goaltender looks around at the creases of his main rivals in the Western Conference, one thing is constant: inexperience. He knows it well, from when he took on the Vancouver Canucks in 2011 as a rookie. At the other end of the rink was a 31-year old Roberto Luongo, who had already been through three playoff runs and was about to win the Jennings trophy for dominating in the regular season.

Crawford and the Hawks would lose in seven games, but it was an important step towards their cup win in 2013 when he would post a .932 save percentage—still the best mark of his career. It’s not easy to backstop a team to the Stanley Cup, even if you do have an excellent group in front of you. Just ask Martin Jones, who actually played his best hockey last year in the Finals against Pittsburgh, despite losing. It took a while for him to really find his groove and even then it wasn’t enough.

So when Crawford sees the standings and notices a trend among the biggest contenders, it might make him even more confident heading into this year’s tournament. Perhaps even if he is a bit older, that experience will pay off in the toughest two months of any sport.

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Snapshots: Canadiens, Ducks, Flames

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The Montreal Canadiens are cruising, winners of six straight games and leading the Atlantic by six points. They’ll have to continue to play short handed for a while though, as Alexander Radulov, Tomas Plekanec and Brian Flynn are all likely out for tomorrow’s matchup against the Calgary Flames. None of the three practiced this morning due to varying injuries, but the Canadiens are carrying enough players to fill their role should they be held out.

Radulov and Plekanec were both absent yesterday when the team slipped by the Vancouver Canucks in overtime, and Flynn was injured during the first period and did not return. In their absence, Andrew Shaw led the forwards in ice time with over 22 minutes, seven more than his average this season. They’ll likely ask Shaw to step up again tomorrow if all three are out, though perhaps Micheal McCarron will draw back in and take some of that weight.

  • John Gibson has been out since February 20th for the Anaheim Ducks, but Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register reports that he is with the team on their current road trip. The Ducks will face the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues on back to back nights starting tomorrow, and could definitely use Gibson in one of the games. In his absence Jonathan Bernier has shouldered the load admirably, but saw a slip last night against Nashville. Asking him to play back to backs would be extreme, and would likely turn to Jhonas Enroth against the Blues if Gibson isn’t ready.
  • The Calgary Flames have seen a rejuvenated Micheal Ferland since moving him onto a line with Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau and now they’ll insert him periodically onto the first powerplay unit as well according to Pat Steinberg of Sportsnet. The young winger has continued to compete physically all over the ice and has five goals in his last seven games. Trailing only Troy Brouwer in hits on the club despite playing more than five minutes less a game than him, Ferland can create space for skilled players just by being on the ice with them.
  • Jannik Hansen finally showed up in San Jose after dealing with visa issues since his trade from the Vancouver Canucks. He was immediately rewarded with time on the first line according to Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News. It looks like he’ll skate alongside Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski for his first game tomorrow night. With Kevin Labanc sent down, an opening was created beside the Sharks top duo and Hansen will get a crack at it to begin his San Jose career.

St. Louis Blues Sign Tage Thompson To Three-Year ELC

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The St. Louis Blues have locked up their most recent first-round pick, signing Tage Thompson to a three-year, entry-level contract today. Thompson had been playing at the University of Connecticut, but will report to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL for the remainder of the season on an amateur contract. His entry-level deal will not kick in until the 2017-18 season. Tage Thompson

Thompson is the son of former NHL defenseman and current Bridgeport Sound Tigers head coach Brent Thompson. Playing mostly center ice for the Huskies, the younger Thompson is a dominant power forward that uses his size (6’5″, 200-lbs) to remove defenders from the puck and attack the net with powerful strides. Although he is still a work in progress in the defensive end, many believe he will turn into an excellent two-way player that can slot in anywhere in the top-nine.

Playing mostly with Kieffer Bellows, the New York Islanders prospect who was selected seven spots ahead of him in the draft, Thompson put on a show of force at the World Juniors for Team USA and was a big part of their run for gold. His hands, skill, and quickness don’t lag very far behind his size because as he explained to Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch back in January, he spent most of his developmental years as an undersized player before hitting a growth spurt a few years ago.

Using that size and skill, he’ll now head to his first taste of professional hockey as the Wolves try to clinch first place in the Central Division. With 32 points in 34 games for Connecticut, he definitely won’t lack any confidence in his game as he adapts to the AHL level. It will be interesting to see if the Wolves will use him at center or on the powerplay, both places they’ve lacked since Ivan Barbashev has stayed up with the Blues.

Metro Division Notes: Shattenkirk, Rangers, Schultz

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Since deciding they would need to deal veteran defenseman Kevin Shattnkirk rather than risk losing him for nothing as a free agent, the St. Louis Blues worked hard to find a team with whom the blue liner would agree to a long term extension and thus be able to extract top value from their asset via trade. Deals evidently fell through with Edmonton and Tampa Bay, however, due to Shattenkirk’s preference to test unrestricted free agency. Ultimately the Blues caved and marketed Shattenkirk as a rental, agreeing to send him to Washington for a fair return, though likely not as high a price as they originally hoped to secure.

But according to Isabelle Khurshudyan of The Washington Post, the idea of Shattenkirk representing only a rental may be a bit premature. The scribe notes that both sides would be open to the blue liner remaining with the Capitals beyond the 2016-17 postseason. However, as Khurshudyan also points out, the team has several other potential free agents that would likely take priority over re-signing Shattenkirk, who may be more of a luxury to the Caps than a vital cog. With $51MM already committed to the 2017-18 salary cap, it’s far more likely the team will focus their limited resources on bringing back potential UFA’s T.J. Oshie and Karl Alzner, while also working out an long-term extension with talented center Evgeny Kuznetsov. Those deals would easily eat up most of the Capitals available space, leaving it nearly impossible for them to also fit Shattenkirk in under the cap barring a surprising trade to clear salary elsewhere.

More from the Metro:

  • The New York Rangers, another team believed to have been interested in the aforementioned Shattenkirk, instead opted to shop in the second tier market, coming away with the solid, if unspectacular Brendan Smith at the deadline. It’s unclear whether the Blueshirts have enough talent to seriously contend for a Stanley Cup in a conference that includes the Capitals, Penguins and Blue Jackets, any one of whom has a decent shot to come out of the East. But one prominent former player thinks the team’s speed, skill and depth is enough to launch the Rangers into Stanley Cup contention. Justin Terranova of the New York Post spoke with former Blueshirts team captain Dave Maloney, and the MSG analyst contends the team is a far cry better than the one that flamed out in round one of last season’s playoffs and is good enough to win it all in 2017. He cites the changes made in how the team plays in their own end as a major difference between this year’s Rangers and last season’s edition. Maloney also adds that bringing in Smith addressed a team need and that while the blue liner hasn’t lived up to his billing as a former first-round pick, his size, mobility and familiarity with Ryan McDonagh and Derek Stepan, former teammates of his at the University of Wisconsin, make him a strong fit on the team’s back end. It remains to be seen whether the Rangers defense corps is good enough to slow down teams like Washington and Pittsburgh come playoff time, even after the addition of Smith.
  • While deadline day disappointed many given the lack of high profile deals, anyone who needs a refresher that often times less significant swaps turn out to ultimately have more impact than the blockbusters need look no further than Pittsburgh’s Justin Schultz. The defenseman entered the league with high expectations after a stellar college career, but Schultz struggled in three-plus seasons with Edmonton before a deadline deal to Pittsburgh just one year ago helped resurrect his career. Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes that the 26-year-old blue liner last night broke the 40-point plateau for the first time and may now be well on his way to scoring a lucrative multiyear extension as a restricted free agent this summer. Twelve months ago, in search of some skill and depth on the blue line, the Penguins shipped a third-round pick to Edmonton for Schultz and the former Wisconsin Badger ended up playing a significant role in the team’s run to the Stanley Cup championship. Now with 10 goals and 41 points on the season, he is among the league’s top offensive threats from the back end and may be in line for a huge raise over the $1.4MM salary he currently makes. Not bad for a relatively inconsequential trade deadline acquisition one year ago.

East Notes: Jokinen, Elias, Cammalleri

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Today in things you didn’t realize: Olli Jokinen hasn’t officially retired. After last playing in the NHL in 2014-15 for the St. Louis Blues—after stints in Nashville and Toronto earlier that season—the former Florida Panthers captain will officially retire prior to the Panthers game on Tuesday against the New York Rangers. A third-overall pick by the Los Angeles Kings back in 1997, Jokinen suited up for the Kings, Islanders, Panthers, Coyotes, Flames, Rangers, Jets, Predators, Maple Leafs and Blues during his 18 year NHL career.

Now 38, Jokinen scored 750 points in 1231 games and was one of the most consistent producers in the game during his prime. Involved in a handful of huge trades over the year, he and Roberto Luongo were the package sent from New York to Florida after the Islanders drafted Rick DiPietro first overall in 2000. The two would help shape the next decade of Panthers hockey, while DiPietro would suffer multiple injuries and become a cautionary “what if” story.

  • Staying with the old guard, Tom Gulitti of NHL.com reports that Patrik Elias has been skating on and off this season and will talk to Devils GM Ray Shero next week about the possibility of playing at some point this season. Elias is currently unsigned by the Devils, but would return to the only team he’s ever known in the NHL should he want to hit the ice this season. The 40-year old has 1025 points in 1240 games over his long and successful career.
  • Maybe the Devils could use him right now, as Andrew Gross of The Record reports that Mike Cammalleri will be out at least a week with an upper-body injury. The forward will be re-evaluated next week at some point to see when he’ll be able to return. In a down season for the 34-year old Cammalleri, he has just 10 goals in 55 games and is starting to show his age on the ice. With two more years on his contract at $5MM per season, he certainly isn’t performing up to his current deal.

Trade Deadline Summary: Winners & Losers Of The Central Division

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The NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone, and while it wasn’t the most exciting deadline day in recent memory, there were quite a few notable moves. Here are the winners and losers of the “wild” Central Division:

Winners

Chicago Blackhawks:

Of course the Blackhawks are winners on deadline day. Did you expect any less? Although they didn’t make any major moves, Chicago brought in two players via trade that can help them immediately. Oduya, a former Blackhawk, is still familiar with the system and has played with many of the current players. Oduya should be able to step in right away, play major minutes, and form a shutdown pair with Niklas Hjalmarsson (when he’s healthy). Just like the good ’ol days. Meanwhile, like nearly any forward, Jurco has a skill set that will fit in well with Chicago’s star forwards and for just the cost of a third-rounder, could represent a long-term fit with the Blackhawks.

Dallas Stars:

The Stars are a tough team to place at the 2017 deadline. They are in the midst of an unforeseen epic collapse of a season and have done well to trade their impending free agents. If Patrick Sharp, Ales Hemsky, and Adam Cracknell weren’t all hurt, Dallas would be a deadline loser for not moving them. As it stands, they did hold on to Jiri Hudler, but traded their three other healthy upcoming UFAs. Eaves earned them great value in return and Korpikoski, a late off-season addition, nets a promising young defenseman in Heatherington. Even McNeill and a fourth-rounder for Oduya is a pretty good deal. So for those three moves anyway, GM Jim Nill did well. With that said, the Benn trade was ill-timed and doesn’t make your team better. Benn still had term on his contract and was the team’s best defensive defenseman and, of course, captain Jamie Benn’s older brother. Dallas will likely regret that move. The Stars are teetering on the edge of winner and loser, but they’ve been through enough this season, so we’ll call them winners.

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Snapshots: Maple Leafs, Sobotka, Spooner

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The Toronto Maple Leafs made their intentions clear this season as they added playoff-tested Brian Boyle to the mix for their playoff push. Not expected to compete for the Atlantic crown this year they find themselves just seven points back of Montreal with two games in hand. Kristen Shilton of TSN spoke to Mike Babcock about the addition, and he said the team deserves this. “We’re excited. Lou thought our group had earned the right for us to help them,” Babcock said, before indicating that Boyle will play tonight on the fourth line and help out both special teams.

TSN’s Bob McKenzie thinks that it’s not just Boyle that the Maple Leafs are after, and that they may use their LTIR space to facilitate other deals. The Leafs have a lot of cap space because of the dead contracts they’ve taken on over the past few years, and could use it to gather assets from teams looking to add at the deadline. They have to be careful though, as the bonuses that Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander (among others) are owed on their entry-level contracts cannot be covered by the LTIR space and would count as penalties next season should they put them over the cap.

  • McKenzie also detailed the possibility of Vladimir Sobotka turning heads at some point tomorrow, as the Omsk Avangard winger is nearing the end of his KHL contract. It’s not clear if Sobotka would consider coming over after his season ends, but would be playoff eligible. Lou Korac of NHL.com asked Blues GM Doug Armstrong about the possibility, who responded: “Once he gets on our soil, then I’ll talk about him.” The 29-year old Sobotka has been a pain in Armstrong’s side for a long time.
  • In a new column from Joe Haggerty of CSNNE, Ryan Spooner spoke out against his former coach Claude Julien and the tense relationship the two shared. Spooner claims that Julien “just didn’t really trust [him]”, and that the two never saw eye to eye on his play style. Spooner has 33 points in 61 games and is well on his way to another 40+ point season before he’s 26. If he’s not dealt in the next few months, he’ll be looking for a big upgrade in the summer on the $950K he’s currently earning.

Reactions To The Kevin Shattenkirk Trade

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The Washington Capitals shocked the hockey world last night when they pushed all their chips to the middle of the table and bet on themselves in this year’s playoffs. Adding Kevin Shattenkirk to an already stacked team was both unexpected and devastating to their closest opponents. As it happened so late at night (and with so many conditions), reactions are still pouring in from media across the country.

  • T.J. Oshie may have had the best reaction, tweeting out a welcome message to his old St. Louis teammate. Oshie and Shattenkirk have played together on the world stage as well, suiting up at both the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi.
  • Greg Wyshynski of Puck Daddy writes how this move is directly related to falling at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins a year ago. The Capitals are after a championship surely, but they first need to make their way through the defending champs and get the playoff monkey off their backs. Shattenkirk will help that tremendously.
  • Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press writes about the growing trend of playoff conditions and has some choice quotes from GM Brian MacLellan.
  • Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post was on the conference call with the general manager and relayed his explanation, saying that Shattenkirk was the only “Grade A” option out there in what is a rental-only market.
  • Craig Button on TSN’s TH2N last night spoke about the possibility that Shattenkirk leaving could open the door for the Los Angeles Kings to sneak into the playoffs. Weakening the Blues—who are still currently in a playoff spot—is good for everyone in the Western Conference playoff push.
  • Also from TSN is Frank Seravalli’s take which agrees with Wyshynski on the Caps going after the Penguins’ title this year. Seravalli also mentions how the Blues have a ready replacement in the towering Colton Parayko. Parayko is set to burst onto the NHL scene with a larger role and should be watched closely this summer when he is a restricted free agent.

Indeed, getting Shattenkirk will increase the Washington Capitals chance at the Stanley Cup this year, and with it they’ve build perhaps the best right-side on any defense group in the league. Matt Niskanen and John Carlson already gave teams matchup issues in the top four and the addition of Shattenkirk makes it that much more impressive.

Any team in the East should be worried now that any addition they make is useless. They’ll have to go through the Caps to get in—that is unless those pesky Penguins get to them first.

Kevin Shattenkirk Reportedly Going To The Washington Capitals

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Update 10:27pm: TSN’s Frank Seravalli reports that if the Capitals trade Shattenkirk on or before July 1st, the Blues will receive a draft pick in the next draft. That draft pick depends on what the Capitals receive for Shattenkirk. If the Capitals get a 4th round pick or higher, the Blues will receive a draft pick two rounds later than the earliest pick received in the trade. If its a 5th or lower, the Blues will receive a 7th round pick.

Update 10:20pm: After talking with the league on a trade call for over an hour, the St. Louis Blues announce that the trade terms are: Kevin Shattenkirk (39% retained) and Pheonix Copley for 2017 1st, 2019 conditional 2nd, Zach Sanford, and Brad Malone. ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the 2019 2nd round pick is conditioned on either Shattenkirk signing with the Capitals, or if the Capitals reach the Conference Finals and Shattenkirk plays in 50% of the playoff games in the first two rounds.

Update 9:27pm: The Capitals do not have a 2nd round draft pick in either 2017 or 2018. It is possible that the condition is a 2018 2nd round pick if the Capitals acquire one.

Update 9:05pm: St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jeremy Rutherford confirms that the 2018 2nd round draft pick going back to St. Louis is conditional. Condition terms will follow.

Update 8:54pm: ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that Washington is sending St. Louis a 2017 1st round draft pick, a 2018 2nd round draft pick, and forward Zach Sanford. More conditions will follow, but these are the main pieces coming back. This leaves the Capitals with only a 4th, 6th and 7th round pick in the upcoming 2017 NHL Entry Draft. The Blues will also retain some salary, but LeBrun believes it is less than 50%.

The St. Louis Blues are close to trading defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk to the Washington Capitals, confirmed by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, and seconded by Blues beat writer Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Shattenkirk is in the final year of a four-year deal worth $4.25MM a year. He’s scored 11G and 31A in 61 games for the Blues so far this season, and joins a Washington team that is primed for a deep playoff run. Friedman reported that the two sides are working out a few conditions, but barring a total collapse a trade call is expected soon.

The Capitals have just over $563K in cap space, but Shattenkirk will take up an additional $968K, so moving a contract the other way is required. Washington is already the top team in the league and has the fewest goals allowed. Adding Shattenkirk just makes a great team even better. The pending UFA may slide in to the top spot on Washington’s blueline—displacing John Carlson—or man the 2nd pairing with Dmitry Orlov. Either way, the Capitals have an embarrassment of riches on defense.

It isn’t every year that a playoff-bound team trades away a talented defenseman, but the Blues were determined to get something of value from a player they knew would not re-sign in St. Louis. Last year the Blues gambled on keeping pending UFA David Backes for a playoff run only to see him leave the Blues for nothing in return.

The Pittsburgh Penguins were rumored to be involved in a potential deal for Shattenkirk, but TSN’s Craig Custance reports that the Blues’ high price was too high for the Penguins. The Tampa Bay Lightning were also involved in a potential deal six weeks ago, but that fell apart after Shattenkirk refused to sign an extension before hitting free agency.

 

Trade Candidate: Kevin Shattenkirk

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Perhaps no player has been mentioned in trade rumors and possible trade scenarios this season than St. Louis Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk. After losing David Backes and Troy Brouwer for nothing as free agents last summer, the Blues were believed to be reluctant to see the same thing happen with Shattenkirk. And with $64MM already allocated towards the 2017-18 season, fitting in another big dollar contract is something the Blues probably would be wise to avoid.

Of course Shattenkirk is an offensively-inclined defenseman who also happens to be right-handed. Those are two characteristics nearly every team in the league is always looking for and the veteran blue liner boasts both in one package. Whether Shattenkirk is traded will have nothing to do with interest, or lack thereof, from other teams; it will, however have everything to do with whether the Blues find a package of assets compelling enough for them to part with the gifted defender.

Contract

Shattenkirk is in the final year of a four-year, $17MM deal with an AAV of $4.25MM.

2016-17

The seven-year veteran hasn’t let his impending free agency and the uncertainty over whether he will finish the season in St. Louis or not affect his performance this season. He is just three points from establishing a new career-high in scoring and his 11 goals already represent the second-best total of his career. With roughly 1/4 of the season remaining to be played, there is a solid chance Shattenkirk bests both totals. He’s done a good chunk of his damage on the man-advantage, tallying seven of his 11 goals and 20 of his 42 points on the power play.

What may complicate both trade negotiations and potentially his earning potential as a UFA is the belief among many evaluators that Shattenkirk is best suited in a second-pairing role and power play specialist and isn’t a legitimate top-pairing blue liner. The Blues are marketing him as a difference-maker and it appears based on the extension terms he’s reportedly already passed on that his camp is expecting a pay day commensurate with some of the top blue liners in the game.

Season Stats

60GP, 11 goals, 31 assists, 42 points, -10 plus/minus, 37 PIM, 114 SOG

Suitors

Again, there is no shortage of teams that would be interested in adding Shattenkirk but will the Blues find a suitor willing to meet their asking price. Edmonton, on the verge of making the postseason after 10 straight non-playoff campaigns, was reportedly closing in on acquiring Shattenkirk last summer but extension talks hit a snag and the team pivoted to the infamous Taylor Hall-for-Adam Larsson swap.

The New York Rangers, Shattenkirk’s favorite team growing up, definitely need a blue line upgrade and would seem to have an excellent shot at extending the defender, but do they have the stomach to meet the high asking price when they might be able to wait until the summer to sign him as a free agent? As we discussed earlier, Rangers GM Jeff Gorton has been less inclined to move the organizations young assets than his predecessor, Glen Sather.

Boston was thought to have had interest but with the emergence of Brandon Carlo and the development of several other young defensemen, the Bruins might prefer to add up front instead of on the back end.

It recently came out that Tampa Bay was heavily involved in trade talks with the Blues for Shattenkirk’s services but again, his refusal to ink an extension scuttled the move. As they fight their way back into the playoff conversation in the East, would they be willing to again consider Shattenkirk as a rental?

Likelihood of a Trade

At this point it’s probably a coin toss. The Blues won’t trade him simply to avoid losing him for nothing this summer; they want a significant return in exchange. St. Louis also holds a playoff position meaning they will be less likely to accept a package consisting of only futures (i.e draft picks and/or prospects). Will a team pony up the required NHL-ready assets for a player that sounds as if he is headed to the open market in a few months and may have his heart set on a particular destination (New York Rangers)? It’s far from a certainty unless the Blues asking price comes down.

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