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Are The Atlantic Division Playoff Teams Already Set?

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It’s December and the 82-game NHL season is not even half over. Think what you will about the “Thanksgiving Rule”, but a lot can change over a long season. There’s no telling exactly how things will shake out this early in the campaign.

Yet, it seems almost impossible that the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs entries from the Atlantic Division are not already set. The Tampa Bay Lightning (23-6-2, 48 pts, .774 PTS%) are the best team in the league. The Toronto Maple Leafs (20-13-1, 41 pts, .603 PTS%) are second in the division and tied for second in the Eastern Conference in points, despite a current three-game losing streak. The Boston Bruins (15-10-4, 34 pts, .586 PTS%) are the closest team to the Leafs in terms of points percentage in the East and rank third in points in the division with the least games played in the NHL. The rest of the teams in the Atlantic are not even close.

The Montreal Canadiens (14-14-4, 32 pts, .500 PTS%) perhaps represent the best bet at a spoiler in the Atlantic, but needed a 6-2-2 record in their last ten just to get to .500. The team is still struggling to find its identity under Claude Julien and there has been more talk of a rebuild than a playoff run this season. The Detroit Red Wings (12-13-7, 31 pts, .484 PTS%) are overachieving this season in the opinion of many, yet are still a ways out in the Atlantic. Despite a talented roster, the Florida Panthers (12-15-5, 29 pts, .453 PTS%) are in even worse shape. The Buffalo Sabres (8-18-7, 23 pts, .348 PTS%) are challenging for the worst record in the NHL and, with the team in turmoil, the Ottawa Senators (10-13-7, 27 pts, .450 PTS%) are trending in that direction as well.

As of now, these five Atlantic Division teams hold the five worst records in the Eastern Conference and five of the seven worst records in the entire NHL. Not only will they struggle to catch the Lightning, Leafs, and Bruins, but a wild card spot versus the relatively dominant Metropolitan Division also seems far outside the realm of possibility. If the Metro’s worst team is the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins (16-14-3, 35 pts, .530 PTS%), how could any of the five hope to beat out its fourth and fifth best teams, currently the identical records of the New York Rangers and New York Islanders (17-12-3, 37 pts, .578 PTS%)?

A lot can change over the course of the NHL season, but in 2017-18 it seems very likely that the Atlantic Division playoff status is already set before the 2018 segment of the season even begins. Tampa Bay simply has too much talent to slow down. Toronto has the talent and youth to keep pushing forward. Boston is only now getting healthy for the first time this season. All three teams are likely to get better as the season progresses and, in turn, the gap between them and the remainder of the Atlantic will only get worse.

Ryan Callahan Out Indefinitely With Upper-Body Injury

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Ryan Callahan played just 8:37 in last night’s game for the Tampa Bay Lightning after crashing into the boards hard, and today has been given a disappointing diagnosis. Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times reports that Callahan is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury, and won’t even be evaluated again for at least three weeks.

Callahan was caught up with Coyotes’ defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson in the third period, and suffered an apparent shoulder or arm injury on the play. It’s a tough break for Callahan, who has seen his career derailed by injuries the past few seasons. Once the captain of the New York Rangers, Callahan was a perennial 20-goal scorer who reached a (since matched) career-high of 54 points in 2011-12.

Traded for Martin St. Louis, Callahan had a solid start with the Lightning but played just 18 games last year due to chronic hip issues. He’d worked hard to get back on the ice this year, but had just six points in 29 games playing fewer than 13 minutes a night. At $5.8MM, his cap hit is one of the worst in the league for a player of his production, and after this latest injury you have to start wondering about a potential long-term injury stint once again.

Lightning Notes: Dotchin, Coburn, McBain

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have the best record in hockey, but are dealing with their fair share of bumps and bruises right now. The only major injury on the roster belongs to defenseman Jake Dotchin, who has been sidelined with an undisclosed and reportedly “freak” injury for the past two weeks. However, the Tampa Bay Times’ Joe Smith writes that Dotchin was back at practice today and could soon return to action. The Bolts have the luxury of easing Dotchin back into the lineup – he was still donning a red “no-contact” jersey today – due to both the team’s success and sufficient depth of talent on the blue line. Nevertheless, the strong defensive presence that Dotchin brings paired nicely with All-Star Victor Hedman as the team’s top duo and coach John Cooper is surely eager to get his defensive groupings back together.

  • Another barrier to that task could be lingering health issues with Braydon Coburn. The veteran stay-at-home defender is also banged-up and unable to play due to an undisclosed injury. Coburn missed the Lightning’s last game and tonight’s contest and there is no word on when he will return.
  • Although the Bolts still have a solid six without Dotchin and Coburn, the team still went ahead and recalled Jamie McBain from the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, the team announced. McBain was on hand for tonight’s game, but did not suit up for Tampa against the New York Islanders. McBain, 29, has had a strong 2017-18 campaign in the AHL thus far and will continue to be a reliable backup option for the Lightning should their blue line injuries persist.

Snapshots: Moulson, Armstrong, Lightning

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Buffalo Sabres forward Matt Moulson cleared waivers today, allowing the team to send him to the minor leagues if they choose. Since that hasn’t happened yet, Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News asked head coach Phil Housley about the situation. The coach’s response:

Jason [Botterill, GM of the Sabres] and his agent are working on some options but that’s as much as I know at this point.  

As with any player, Moulson would likely prefer to go somewhere that has an NHL role for him, but he currently holds a partial no-trade clause. Moulson can submit 12 teams that he’ll accept trades to, but perhaps his agent and Botterill will expand that to get a deal done somewhere. Moulson has another year on his contract at a $5MM cap hit, and the Sabres would likely need to retain some of the salary to facilitate a deal. Whether they can find one that is worth it is still unclear.

  • Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic reports that the St. Louis Blues have opened negotiations with GM Doug Armstrong on a new contract extension. Armstrong is one of several GMs around the league operating in the final year of their contract, something fellow Athletic scribe Frank Provenzano warned against recently. Though the Blues are still looking for the first Stanley Cup in the history of their franchise, Armstrong’s recent moves have put them in a strong position both now and in the future. The Blues have dropped to third in the Central Division, but still remain a playoff favorite this season and still have some promising young talents like Klim Kostin, Tage Thompson, Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou on their way.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, as the team is close to extending their lease through 2037. According to Steve Contorno of the Tampa Bay Times, Hillborough County would commit $61MM over that 20-year period for upgrades to Amalie Arena, with the team also required to put in a large amount. Just today, Forbes ranked the Lightning the 23rd most valuable team in the league, sandwiched between the Islanders and Avalanche at $390MM. That comes as a huge 28% raise over last year’s valuation, and leads the state-rival Florida Panthers by $85MM. Success this season would only serve to help their foothold in the community and state sports market, something that Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman are doing their very best to bring to the team and city. Tampa Bay finds itself in first place in the Atlantic Division and an early favorite for the Stanley Cup Finals.

Minor Transactions: 12/04/17

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After an interesting weekend around the NHL, teams like the Winnipeg Jets are finding themselves in unfamiliar territory. The Canadian team is in first place in the Central Division, leapfrogging the St. Louis Blues and tying the Tampa Bay Lightning for the best record in the league. In the East, the Montreal Canadiens are flying up the Atlantic Division while the Pittsburgh Penguins are back to their winning ways.

As teams continue to push towards the Christmas break, we’ll keep an eye on all the minor transactions of the day.

  • The Buffalo Sabres have recalled Evan Rodrigues from Rochester, sending down Kyle Criscuolo in his place. Rodrigues was expected to make an impact at the NHL level this season, but missed the first part of the year with an injured hand. Suffering the injury in the preseason, he’s only been back in AHL game action for the last few weeks. With 10 points in eight games he’s ready to contribute to the Sabres once again.
  • Tampa Bay has sent defenseman Jamie McBain back to the AHL, after just a few days with the club. McBain was called up over the weekend to give the team some insurance after Braydon Coburn wasn’t able to dress, but never got into the lineup. The veteran has 11 points in 21 games for the Syracuse Crunch this season. (Update 7:45pm: McBain has been called back up by the team, as both Coburn and Jake Dotchin are still unable to return).
  • Dominic Toninato has been sent back to the San Antonio Rampage by the Colorado Avalanche, ending his short stint with the team. The 23-year old forward played eight games for the club and registered one point, but wasn’t effective enough to deserve regular minutes. The team has called up Rocco Grimaldi in his stead, though Colin Wilson is also set to return from injury.
  • Mark Stepneski of NHL.com reports that the Dallas Stars have assigned Jason Dickinson to the AHL, meaning the 22-year old will have to wait for another chance at his first goal this season. In four games Dickinson was held scoreless and will return to the minor leagues to continue his development. A first-round pick by the Stars a few years ago, he still has a bright future in the organization.

Senators Claim Chris DiDomenico Off Waivers From Tampa Bay

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Chris DiDomenico’s stint in Tampa Bay’s organization didn’t last long.  After being placed on waivers yesterday, the Senators have claimed the winger, per a team announcement (Twitter link).  This comes on the heels of the Lightning claiming him from Ottawa just a week ago.

[Related: Updated Senators Depth Chart from Roster Resource]

In his time with Tampa Bay, DiDomenico only played in the minors on a conditioning stint.  He suited up in three games with their AHL affiliate in Syracuse, scoring once during that span.

DiDomenico initially cleared waivers at the end of training camp but injuries up front gave him a chance to be recalled early on in the season to Ottawa. He initially made quite the impact as he recorded five points in his first five games. However, his ice time decreased after that and he picked up just a lone assist in his final seven games with the Sens before they placed him on waivers last weekend.

If the Senators were the only team to claim the 28-year-old, they will be eligible to send him down to their AHL affiliate in Belleville.  If, however, any other team behind them in the priority list put in a claim, then they would have to re-waive him in order to try to send him back down.

  • In other waiver news on Saturday, Oilers winger Iiro Pakarinen cleared waivers, per Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic (Twitter link).  The team announced via Twitter that he has been assigned to Bakersfield of the AHL.

Lighting Recall Jamie McBain

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  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have promoted defenseman Jamie McBain to the big club, per a team release.  The veteran has yet to play with the Lightning this season but has picked up 11 points in 21 minor league contests.  He has plenty of NHL experience under his belt though with 348 career games split between Carolina, Buffalo, Los Angeles, and Arizona.  His promotion was needed with fellow blueliner Braydon Coburn being listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

Lightning Recall Cory Conacher From Syracuse

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  • The Lightning announced that they have brought back winger Cory Conacher from Syracuse of the AHL.  The veteran has played just once with Tampa Bay this season (on Saturday against Pittsburgh) but he made the most of it, scoring in that game.  As usual, he has been quite productive at the minor league level, collecting 15 points in 18 games.

Cedric Paquette Handed One-Game Suspension

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A tough night in Boston continues to have repercussions for the Tampa Bay Lightning. After a 3-2 loss to the Bruins, a score that doesn’t accurately reflect the lack of effort shown by the Bolts, the physical, frustrated style the team fell into will have a lasting effect into their next game, a Saturday matinee against the San Jose Sharks. Cedric Paquette has received a one-game suspension for boarding, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced (video).

Down 2-0 early in the second period, after a dominant first period by the B’s, Paquette drove Boston defenseman Torey Krug into the boards and received a minor penalty for boarding for his efforts. Player Safety decided that wasn’t enough, and Paquette’s hearing today has resulted in a one-game ban. Paquette had ample time to pull up or change the angle of his contract on Krug, who turned his back to play the puck on the end board. Instead, Paquette came at full force and drove Krug into the boards, turning an otherwise legal check into an illegal, suspendable check.

Fortunately, Krug – one of many Bruins who has struggled with injuries this season – was not hurt on the play. Team mate Frank Vatrano was also quick to jump in and defend him. The real justice for Krug was the Bruins holding on for the win against the Atlantic’s top team, as Boston won their fifth game in the past six outings.

Snapshots: Paquette, Kane, Malkin

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Tampa Bay Lightning forward Cedric Paquette is having a hearing today with the Department of Player Safety regarding his hit from behind on Torey Krug last night. Paquette was assessed a two-minute boarding penalty on the play (along with a roughing minor for his scrap with Frank Vatrano a few seconds later) and could face additional discipline.

From the video, it looks like Paquette had ample time to avoid or minimize the contact after Krug turned his back to him instead of driving through his body and into the boards. Paquette has not been suspended previously by the DoPS, although he was the target of a hit that resulted in Zac Rinaldo being suspended for five games.

  • Evander Kane is the big trade target, but Buffalo Sabres GM Jason Botterill hasn’t made up his mind on whether to move him or not. As Botterill told John Vogl of the Buffalo News, the Sabres are ecstatic with how Kane has played this season under new head coach Phil Housley, and could decide to keep him during his successful season. With the Sabres falling out of contention, the only real reasons to keep Kane around would be if you believe you can complete a dramatic comeback in the second half of the season, or have a shot at re-signing him before he bolts in free agency.
  • Evgeni Malkin is set to get back into the Pittsburgh Penguins’ lineup after taking a full-contact practice today with his teammates. Malkin hasn’t played since November 18th, but was off to quite the start to the season. With the Penguins still floundering in the middle of the Metropolitan Division, Malkin’s return will be a welcome sight. As Phil Kessel put it to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “whenever you can get one of the best players in the world back in your lineup, it adds to your team.” You’ve got that right, Phil.

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