Snapshots: Penguins, Capitals, Jones
After Jim Rutherford pulled off his latest deadline deal, acquiring Ron Hainsey for a second-round draft pick today, he met the media to answer questions about his team and rest of the trade deadline. At the same time, Washington Capitals GM Brian MacLellan was meeting with media to discuss his team’s aspirations at the deadline. Here are the highlights from both, plus other news from the hockey world.
- Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported several things on Twitter, including that Rutherford thinks the next 24 hours will determine whether the Penguins add another defenseman at the deadline. Since the Penguins don’t play until Saturday, he’s likely referring to both Kris Letang and Justin Schultz and their battles with injury.
- Schultz hit practice without a non-contact sweater today and took part in nearly all the drills. After a successful practice, the plan is to get him into a game on Saturday night against the Flyers.
- Letang on the other hand is day-to-day with an upper body injury suffered Tuesday night against Carolina. His health is likely a determining factor in the deadline for Pittsburgh.
- Rutherford also mentioned, according to Mackey, that Olli Maatta and Trevor Daley who are both out for over a month, will not be placed on LTIR and could return before the end of the season. Six weeks from today would be April 6th, just a few days before the playoffs begin. The Penguins face the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers on back to back nights to end the season (April 8 and 9). Perhaps we’ll see them back by then.
- On the Capitals, Isabell Khurshudyan of the Washington Post gives us a series of tweets from MacLellan. He has been in touch with T.J. Oshie‘s camp and wants to sign him. He doesn’t think it will get done in-season though.
- MacLellan doesn’t think the team will do anything at the deadline except perhaps in the “fringes” of the roster. He mentioned a third goaltender as a possibility.
- Max Jones of the London Knights will face a 10 game suspension, according to Ryan Pyette of the London Free Press. Jones was the first-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks this past summer, and has faced multiple suspensions this year limiting him to just 29 games.
- The Alaska Aces of the ECHL will shut down their doors after this season, leaving the state without a professional hockey team. Winners of the Kelly Cup three times in their fifteen years, they once rostered players like Scott Gomez, Nate Thompson and Brandon Dubinsky and are currently the affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks.
NHL Announces 10-Game Suspension Of Antoine Vermette
As expected, the NHL has suspended Anaheim Ducks forward Antoine Vermette ten games for his abuse of an official. Vermette slashed linesman Shandor Alfonso after a faceoff on Tuesday, resulting in a game misconduct and this automatic ten-game ban. Vermette is expected to appeal, according to John Shannon of Sportsnet.
As Shannon notes, it will cost Vermette $97,222.22 while he’s held out. The money will go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund, which helps former players in times of financial stress. If he doesn’t appeal, he’ll be out until March 12th when the Ducks take on the Washinton Capitals. The team has already called up Corey Tropp from the San Diego Gulls to replace him.
This suspension comes right alongside the six-game ban that Gustav Nyquist was given yesterday for a high stick on the Minnesota Wild’s Jared Spurgeon. While many people thought that was too few, others think this is too many. There isn’t much room for debate on this one, as it was an automatic penalty according to the CBA, though the Commissioner does hold the power to lessen it under the appeal process.
Nyquist Gets In-Person Disciplinary Hearing
Detroit Red Wings forward Gustav Nyquist will receive an in-person hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety, reports Sportsnet’s Chris Johnson. An in-person hearing means that Nyquist could—and probably would—receive a suspension lasting at least six games. Sportsnet’s John Shannon tweets that the hearing is set for Tuesday February 14th.
Nyquist dangerously high-sticked Minnesota Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon during today’s game between the two teams (Yahoo Sports video link). Spurgeon received stitches but returned to finish the match. The optics on this play are bad—Spurgeon knocks Nyquist down into the boards during a battle for the puck, and Nyquist gets up and immediately raises his blade into Spurgeon’s face.
In-person hearings generally mean that the player will receive at least a six-game suspension. A phone hearing is reserved for suspensions less than six games, while in-person hearings can result in much longer sentences. As Chris Johnson points out, Nyquist would forfeit $26,388.89 per game of his suspension.
The suspension length will be affected by both Nyquist’s clean disciplinary history, and that Spurgeon did not suffer any serious injury. Nyquist has never been suspended before, which may lessen the punishment’s severity. Nevertheless, expect Nyquist to receive between 5-8 games because of the NHL’s focus on injuries to the head.
Anthony DeAngelo Receives Three Game Suspension
As rumored earlier today, Anthony DeAngelo of the Arizona Coyotes will face a three-game suspension for his abuse of official David Brisebois on Saturday night. He’ll be eligible for return on January 13th against the Winnipeg Jets.
After an altercation with the Flames’ Sam Bennett, DeAngelo argued with Brisbois and tried to forcefully remove himself from the linesman’s grasp. DeAngelo was given a match penalty for it during the game, and will now sit out for almost two weeks because of a schedule quirk for Arizona.
[Gif of the incident via Scouting The Refs]
Remember that DeAngelo was also suspended for eight games back in 2014 for violating the OHL’s abuse/diversity policy. The comments that caused his suspension were directed at a teammate in this case.
Despite his trouble with suspensions, DeAngelo remains a top prospect for the Coyotes, who acquired him from the Tampa Bay Lightning for a second-round pick (37th overall) this summer. His high upside has trumped any personal issues he’s had in the past, though this new offense is a serious one.
DeAngelo has nine points in 20 games in his rookie season this year, playing almost 19 minutes a night. He’s been a big part of their powerplay thus far, and has huge offensive upside to his game.
Department Of Player Safety Hands Down Suspensions
It’s been a busy day for the NHL’s Department of Player Safety. Ottawa’s Mike Hoffman and Dallas’ Cody Eakin both had scheduled meetings with the DoPS today—Hoffman for a cross-check to the back of Logan Couture‘s head and Eakin for running heavily into Henrik Lundqvist – and the two have each received their penalties.
According to John Shannon of Sportsnet, Hoffman received a two-game ban for his infraction and will forfeit $57.6K in salary. Meanwhile, Eakin has been suspended for the next four contests, according to Mark Stepneski, who covers the Stars for NHL.com. Eakin’s suspension will cost the six-year veteran more than $85K in forfeited salary.
Additionally, Marc-Edouard Vlasic was fined $5K, the maximum allowed under terms of the CBA, for spearing Ottawa defenseman Erik Karlsson. Vlasic speared Karlsson in the second period of the same game where Hoffman crosschecked Logan Couture.
Stars’ Eakin To Meet With Player Safety
Dallas Stars center Cody Eakin will be meeting with NHL Player Safety on Friday afternoon.
This comes after he took a run at New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist on Thursday night in Dallas. Eakin was given a five-minute major and a game misconduct, while Lundqvist briefly left the game. Despite the fact that Lundqvist was out of the net, the NHL rules clearly state that “a goalkeeper is not ‘fair game’ just because he is out of the goal crease area.”
It’s a similar incident to the infamous Milan Lucic–Ryan Miller incident from five years ago. Lucic, then with the Bruins, skated right through the Sabres netminder. Miller, who was out of the net to play the puck, was sent flying. Lucic got a two-minute penalty for charging but did not face any supplemental discipline for the hit.
Eakin has just one assist in 14 games this season, but is coming off three seasons of 35-40 points. He’s working on getting back into game form after injury, but it seems like that may be delayed by a suspension. Lundqvist, meanwhile, returned to the game and finished with 27 saves in a 2-0 win. While he won’t get credit for a shutout because he didn’t play the whole game, it’s still a great return for The King, who had been temporarily displaced by the hot hand of Antti Raanta. Raanta started four straight, with just three goals allowed and two shutouts in the 3-1-0 stretch.
Eakin isn’t the only one who will be meeting with Patrick Burke and Player Safety, as Senators winger Mike Hoffman will also have a disciplinary hearing for cross-checking San Jose Sharks center Logan Couture in the head on Wednesday night.
Mark Borowiecki Suspended Two Games
Ottawa Senators defenseman Mark Borowiecki has been suspended for two games for boarding Kings winger Tyler Toffoli on Saturday. He received a major penalty for the hit, which incited a scrum. Toffoli left the game, but later returned.
Borowiecki will miss Sunday’s game in Anaheim and Wednesday’s home game against San Jose. Borowiecki is eligible to return to the lineup on Saturday when New Jersey visits the Senators.
As Director of Player Safety Patrick Burke explains in the suspension video, “Toffoli comes back into his defensive zone to retrieve the puck. Toffoli sees Borowiecki coming, and turns his back to protect the puck. With sufficient time to avoid or minimize the hit, Borowiecki instead forcefully hits through Toffoli’s numbers, driving him dangerously into the glass.”
Borowiecki has one assist and is -1 in 28 games this season, while averaging 13:42 per game.
Leafs AHL Goalie Sparks Suspended Indefinitely
TSN reported last night that the Toronto Maple Leafs have suspended AHL net minder Garret Sparks indefinitely for violating team policy. Specifically, Sparks is believed to have used “violent and sexist language toward a user in an online group.”
Sparks has not appeared in a game this season for the Leafs and because of injury has been limited to just four appearances for the Toronto Marlies of the AHL. For the Marlies, the 23-year-old goalie has won three of his starts and has a GAA of 2.02 with a Save % of 0.918.
The 2011 seventh-round draft choice made his NHL debut last season for the Leafs, starting 17 contests and finishing with a 3.02 GAA and a Save % of 0.893.
Marlies head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated there is no timetable for Sparks’ return but the situation will be reevaluated next week.
Should the Leafs need to recall a goalie from the AHL for any reason during Sparks’ suspension, it would likely be Antoine Bibeau who gets the call. Bibeau, the Leafs sixth-round choice in 2013, is 6 – 4 – 3 with a GAA of 2.50 and a Save % of 0.908 for the Marlies.
Sabres Notes: Ennis, O’Reilly, Eichel
After undergoing surgery last week to repair two sports hernias, Buffalo Sabres forward Tyler Ennis will miss six weeks according to John Vogl of Buffalo News. The three-time 20 goal scorer had been struggling to start the season with only two points in twelve games. This comes after an injury-plagued 2015-16 that saw Ennis suit up only 23 times, scoring 11 points.
Six weeks gives Ennis a timeline right around the Christmas break in the NHL, which happens December 24-26. Before last season, the small forward had proven fairly durable in his career, playing in 335 games from 2010-2015. He’ll now try to get back to that pace with a successful rehab and final three months.
- Ryan O’Reilly is skating again, but is still day-to-day and will likely not play tomorrow against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Buffalo alternate-captain has been in and out of the lineup all season with a “middle-body injury” or back spasms, and has been limited to just 13 games (out of 16). After avoiding any potential suspensions from his offseason incident, O’Reilly was expected to once again lead the Sabres in scoring. After putting up 60 points in 71 games last season, the big center has put up nine this year.
- The other big scoring threat on the Sabres, Jack Eichel, is also injured at the moment and working his way back. While there is still no exact timetable for his return, head coach Dan Bylsma did say he is skating and progressing today. Eichel was injured at practice in early October, and initial diagnoses had him somewhere between 4-8 weeks for a return. Last year’s second-overall pick put up 56 points in his rookie season but has yet to hit the ice in a game this year.
- The team has sent down Casey Nelson to Rochester today, though according to Vogl is expected to recall him tomorrow after the Americans’ game tonight. With all the injuries to the NHL squad, Nelson is playing somewhat of a taxi-squad role just in case anything happens in warmups or morning skates.
Pacific Division Notes: Flames, Canucks, Oilers
The Calgary Flames have struggled in the early stretches of this season, and some of their fans have found a scapegoat: “The Wideman Effect”.
The belief is that since January 2016, when Dennis Wideman ran linesman Don Henderson from behind, ending the latter’s career, the referees have been biased against the Flames. Despite the catchy name, it appears that the perception just isn’t true. Sportsnet’s Mark Spector broke down the penalties called in the 47 games before the incident and the 46 since. While the Flames did see a nearly 50 per cent increase in penalties last season after the attack, they still spent more time on the power-play. Moving to this season, the Flames are the second-most penalized team in the NHL after the Bruins. But they’ve also had the fifth-most power-play opportunities of any team.
Fans can look no further than the struggles of Sean Monahan, Johnny Gaudreau, and Brian Elliott, and some questionable lineup choices on the blue line. Fresh off signing new contracts for $6.375MM and $6,75MM respectively, Monahan and Gaudreau have combined for just 11 points through 12 games. That’s eight less than last season at this time.
Elliott was traded for to stabilize the Flames wretched goaltending from last season, and so far has a sub-900 save percentage and a GAA over 3. Backup Chad Johnson has been better, but is still below league-average.
Finally, the Flames new coach Glen Gulutzan‘s usage of Dougie Hamilton has been weird this season. Hamilton scored 43 points last season while playing just under 20-minutes per game, but has fallen below 19 minutes this season and has been playing third-pairing at even-strength with lesser players.
- It has been an ugly stretch for the Canucks, who have lost seven games in a row after starting 4-0-0. They’ve fallen from first in the NHL to 26th. Even worse, the Canucks have scored just seven goals in that stretch and have been shutout in four of their last five games. The Blue Jackets outscored the Canucks’ entire losing streak in 38-minutes on Friday night, and they weren’t even done yet. Coach Willie Desjardins said he believes in their players and thinks they can turn it around, despite admitting this season’s losing has been tough on him. Desjardins is on the hot seat, considering GM Jim Benning believes the Canucks are a playoff team. However, Benning may not be entirely accurate in that belief: the Canucks are averaging just 1.45 goals-per-game, nearly a goal-and-a-half less than the league-average. Most prognosticators have the Canucks pegged as a real contender, not for the playoffs, but for the best draft lottery odds.
- Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oilers are sitting in first in the Western Conference after a hot start. They’ve cooled down a little, going 0-2-1 in the last week. Spector echoed a common sentiment about the team: if they can get their hands on a legit point-threat for their floundering power-play, then watch out. The Oilers were linked to Kevin Shattenkirk, P.K. Subban and Tyson Barrie over the summer, and more recently pending-UFA Brent Burns. In his article, Spector suggests Jason Garrison might be available in Tampa Bay as a cap casualty, though he’s another lefty; when healthy, five of the Oilers top-six defenders are left-handed.