- Lightning center Cedric Paquette could return to the lineup from his upper-body injury on Sunday, notes Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. He last played on October 17th and has an assist in six games so far this season. Tampa Bay hasn’t placed him on injured reserve so they won’t have to make a corresponding roster move when he gets the green light to return.
Lightning Rumors
Tampa Bay Lightning Make Multiple Moves
The Tampa Bay Lightning made a flurry of minor moves this afternoon, as indicated by an announcement from the team primarily impacted – their AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. The most impactful NHL transaction was the return of veteran forward Erik Condra to the minors. The Bolts also reassigned top goalie prospect Connor Ingram as well as defenseman Matt Spencer to the ECHL’s Adirondack Thunder. Down at the AHL level, the Crunch additionally recalled goaltender Nick Riopel from the ECHL and released journeyman forward Jason Akeson from his tryout agreement.
Condra, 31, is now in his third year with the Lightning and has seen his role with the team decrease with each passing season. The former Ottawa Senators spark plug signed with the Bolts as a free agent in 2015, expecting to have a similar job in Tampa as he did in Kanata. However, in year one he only suited up for 54 NHL games and scored less than half the points of the previous season’s total. Last year, he skated in only 13 games with the Lightning, spending much of the campaign in the press box or the minors. In 2017-18? Despite being recently called up, Condra has yet to make his season debut for the Bolts with the team 16 games in. It seems Condra has permanently settled into an AHL depth role.
Ingram and Spencer, both first-year pros, have each struggled to adjust to the AHL thus far. Although no one is doubting that Ingram could still be the reliable NHL keeper he projected as when he was selected in the third round in 2016, his .860 save percentage and 3.36 GAA in the pros is a far cry from his numbers as a top WHL goalie with the Kamloops Blazers the past few years. Some time in the ECHL could make for a smoother transition and a confidence boost for the 20-year-old. The same goes for the defenseman Spencer, a 2015 second-round pick and two-way ace for the OHL’s Peterborough Petes. Unable to work his way into the defensive rotation, Spencer has seen only limited minutes in just two AHL games. A trip to the ECHL will help him get some work in and, like Ingram, renew his confidence.
In the meantime, Syracuse needs another goalie and Riopel is getting the call. However, Ingram’s demotion could be short-lived, as the journeyman minor leaguer Riopel has arguably worse numbers – .871 save percentage and 3.91 GAA in nine games – in the ECHL than Ingram had in the AHL (and Ingram is eight years younger). Riopel does bring some more experience, but little upside over his younger counterpart. Whatever veteran boost Riopel gives the Crunch may be canceled out by the departure of Akeson, who failed to turn a PTO into a contract. Akeson, 27, is a former Philadelphia Flyer with 15 NHL games under his belt and a prolific AHL career to go with it. Yet, with the return of Condra and the realization that he may be in Syracuse for good, the organization likely decided they didn’t need another aging minor league forward on board.
Erik Condra, Brian Ferlin Placed On Waivers
The Tampa Bay Lightning have placed Erik Condra on waivers, according Lindsay Kramer of Syracuse.com. The 31-year old has been skating for weeks with the Syracuse Crunch after recovering from back surgery, and was always expected to be sent down when he was healthy. Because he began the season on injured reserve, he’ll now have to clear waivers before playing for the Crunch.
Named team captain last season, Condra is a huge part of the Syracuse lineup and scored 48 points for them in just 55 games last season. He also spent 13 games with the Lightning, but was held scoreless. He is currently on the final year of a three-year, $3.75MM contract he signed with the Lightning in 2015.
Should he clear, he’ll provide good depth for the Lightning and a big boost to a Crunch team that is currently last in the AHL’s North Division. At 3-6-3 they could certainly use their captain back in the lineup. He would clear tomorrow, though the Crunch don’t play again until Saturday.
Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports also reports that Brian Ferlin of the Edmonton Oilers has been placed on waivers. Ferlin is in a similar situation after starting the year on season-opening injured reserve. The 25-year old hasn’t played this year, and needs to go through waivers to get to the AHL. Signed to a one-year, two-way contract this summer, the former Boston Bruins prospect poses little risk of being claimed. His short professional career has shown some promise, but he played just two games last season due to injury.
Stamkos, Killorn, Hayes Fined By NHL
The punishment doesn’t always fit the crime, especially in the NHL’s fine system. In early October, some fans were outraged when St. Louis Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo received a fine of just over $3,000 for repeated cross check to the back of New York Islanders forward Brock Nelson. The fine was the maximum amount prescribed by the NHL collective bargaining agreement, but many felt that such a relatively small amount of money was not nearly enough for a fairly brutal showing by Bortuzzo.
Now, the script has flipped. Tampa Bay Lightning forwards Steven Stamkos and Alex Killorn and New York Rangers counterpart Kevin Hayes have all been fined $5,000 for a conspiracy of… water squirting? TSN reports that in Thursday night’s game the trio all engaged in what the league has defined as unsportsmanlike conduct. Hayes got the affair started when he sprayed Killorn with water from the Rangers’ bench prior to the pair taking the ice. On the ensuing face-off, Killorn retaliated with multiple jabs directed at Hayes, for which he received a slashing penalty. In defense of the perceived wrong to his teammate, Stamkos went the “eye for an eye” route and sprayed water at the Rangers bench. All three were determined to be equally guilty in the affair, while J.T. Brown and Steven Kampfer, whose fight was heavily endorsed by their respective benches, received no share of the blame.
Objectively, it seems silly for water squirting to warrant a $5,000 fine, even if that amount is equivalent to roughly $5 for the majority. However, in the context of Bortuzzo’s maximum $3,000 fine for cross-checking, it seems that the league has their priorities out of alignment. A re-haul to the fine structure in the CBA may be need to be addressed at the table during the league’s next bargaining, if not sooner.
Morning Notes: Fines, Froese, Fraser
Three fines were handed out by the Department of Player Safety for an incident in last night’s Tampa Bay Lightning-New York Rangers game. Kevin Hayes, Alex Killorn and Steven Stamkos have all been fined $5,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct.
The incident occurred when Hayes squirted water from the bench towards Killorn, who then retaliated by swinging his stick towards the bench. After a scrum ensued, Stamkos also squirted water towards the New York bench (h/t Shayna Goldman of Hockey Graphs for the clips). The Rangers would win the game in overtime.
- Byron Froese has been named the first captain of the Laval Rocket, Montreal’s new AHL franchise. Froese made his NHL debut with the Maple Leafs a few seasons ago, playing 56 games in 2015-16. Since then he hasn’t been able to find a full-time NHL role, playing just six games last season between Toronto and Tampa Bay. He signed a two-year deal with the Canadiens this summer which will turn into a one-way deal next season.
- Terrible news out of the league site today, as long-time referee Kerry Fraser shares his diagnosis of cancer. Anyone who watched hockey prior to 2010 remembers Fraser as one of the household-named officials in the league, and as one of the most beloved and reviled refs in Los Angeles and Toronto respectively (not really, but talk of “Gretzky’s high stick” seems to live on forever around the league). Fraser, 65, shared his story as part of Hockey Fights Cancer month in the NHL, and PHR would like to send our thoughts to him and his family. If you’d like to donate to the league’s cause, the link can be found here.
Atlantic Notes: Pastrnak, Lightning, Hicketts, Krejci
It wasn’t the best matchup for the Boston Bruins Saturday, but the team allowed right wing David Pastrnak to take the faceoff with 0.9 seconds remaining in their overtime game with the Los Angeles Kings. According to Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe, had Pastrnak just got a stick on the puck, things wouldn’t have spiraled out of control in that short amount of time. Instead, the Kings’ Anze Kopitar won a clean faceoff and passed it to Tyler Toffoli, who blasted it past Boston goaltender Tuuka Rask with 0.4 seconds left, allowing the Kings to walk away with a shocking victory. If you haven’t seen it, catch the video here.
According to Shinzawa, Pastrnak still was the best option for who was out there between Anders Bjork and Torey Krug, but he should have done anything, even illegal, to keep the Bruins from allowing a clean faceoff. A penalty would have only given the Kings an extra attacker, which would have made little difference with 0.9 seconds remaining, but it could have allowed Boston to substitute with a better face-off specialist like Patrice Bergeron.
“All we’re asking him to do is basically affect the puck there,” said coach Bruce Cassidy. “Not even win it. We don’t need to win it. We just need some sort of stick on it so it bounces toward the boards. I think that’s what David was thinking. If he could push it toward the boards, it has no chance of going backwards. Didn’t happen.”
- Brandon Burns of NHL.com writes that special teams is what let the Tampa Bay Lightning down in Saturday’s 4-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks. The scribe writes that it has been the team’s special teams that has made the difference in the team’s success this season. While the team only found itself in two penalty killing situations all game, Tampa Bay allowed goals both times, while the power play had four power play chances and couldn’t convert, something the team has done in 10 of 11 games. Neither Steven Stamkos or Nikita Kucherov were able to get on the scoreboard, breaking both of their scoring streaks at 11 games.
- Katie Strang of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that the Detroit Red Wings should be taking a long look at Grand Rapids Griffins defenseman Joe Hicketts as a potential callup to fix the team’s defensive struggles. The 21-year-old undrafted free agent has impressed the organization and almost made the team out of training camp with his physical play, despite his 5-foot-8, 177-pound frame. The scribe breaks down Hicketts’ play and points out that he is the perfect player to shake up the team’s failing blueline.
- The Boston Bruins tweeted that veterean center David Krejci will miss Monday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets with what’s believed to be a back injury. Krejci, who missed Saturday’s game against the Kings, has one goal and five assists in six games, centering the Bruins top line. David Backes will likely fill in for him in that spot again.
Keeping An Eye On Entry-Level Slides: An Update
Two weeks ago we ran an article looking at the young players in the NHL who were also eligible to see their contracts slide by one year. Should they be sent back to their junior or European clubs before playing in 10 NHL games, they would avoid burning the first year of their entry-level contracts.
At the time, none of the players eligible had surpassed that threshold. Today is a different story. Three players have already played their 10th game in the NHL, changing the goalposts somewhat for their respective teams. Now, those clubs must decide whether or not to keep them past the next threshold of 40 games, when they’ll get a year closer to unrestricted free agency. Below, we’ll take an updated look at the entire group.
10+ Games Played
Mikhail Sergachev (TBL)
Victor Mete (MTL)
Alex DeBrincat (CHI)
Each of these three seemed to have a good shot at staying with their respective teams right from the start, but now the most interesting thing to watch will be that 40 game mark. For Sergachev especially it holds quite a bit of value. Due to a condition on the trade that brought him to Tampa Bay, if he fails to play 40 games this season the Montreal Canadiens would have to send a second-round draft pick (Montreal would also receive a sixth-round pick in return). That extra asset could be tantalizing for the Lightning, but with Sergachev’s outstanding start—the young defenseman has 10 points in 11 games—it may not be worth sending him away from the team.
8-9 Games Played
Pierre-Luc Dubois (CBJ)
Nico Hischier (NJD)
Jesper Bratt (NJD)
Nolan Patrick (PHI)
All four of these players seem destined to play past the nine game threshold, with Dubois set to play his tenth game tonight, and Patrick only sitting out due to injury this week. Bratt and Hischier have played in all eight of New Jersey’s games, combining for 13 points. Their strong early play will likely keep them in New Jersey for the year.
Interestingly, Dubois has lasted in the Columbus lineup despite registering just one point all season. He’s not being sent back before tonight’s game, but it will be interesting to see how the season plays out. He’s not struggling with the pace of play, but hasn’t received the opportunity to really show what his offensive ceiling is. Should Columbus face more injuries, Dubois could be thrust into a more important role.
5-7 Games Played
Kailer Yamamoto (EDM)
Yamamoto is one of the most interesting cases, because though he’s played seven games with the club and at times been one of the ice-time leaders beside Connor McDavid, he was scratched last night against the Dallas Stars. As Leon Draisaitl and Drake Caggiula came back, there seemingly wasn’t a spot left for Yamamoto in the top nine.
The diminutive forward has three points through his seven contests, but isn’t a lock to stay past nine games if the Oilers feel he still needs some more development. Though he obviously has the skill to play at this level, if they’re not going to play him every night his path may lie back in the WHL. That would certainly change the fate for the Spokane Chiefs, his junior team, who are currently 8-6-1 on the season.
1-4 Games Played
Owen Tippett (FLA)
Janne Kuokkanen (CAR)
Samuel Girard (NSH)
Tippett finally worked his way into the lineup for Florida, and the early results suggest he could stay there all year. The winger from the Mississauga Steelheads scored his first goal last night, and could find himself getting more ice time as the Panthers try to dig their way out of a rough start. By no means is he guaranteed, but the team has hinted that he would stay in the NHL right away since the start of training camp.
Kuokkanen started off hot for the Hurricanes in limited minutes, but has been relegated to the press box for the team’s last five games. As we wrote in the previous article, the Hurricanes could actually send him to the AHL instead of back to junior, meaning he could bounce up and down this season.
Girard has certainly impressed in the three games he’s played, but none of those have come in the team’s last four. He may be back in the lineup tonight however when the team takes on the Chicago Blackhawks, and if he keeps up his high level of play they may have no choice but to keep him around. Still, it’s always tough for a 19-year old defender to stick in the NHL and especially one that is just 162-lbs. He’ll have to show beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’s ready to be a contributor to this team all season.
No Longer On Roster
Logan Brown (OTT)
Filip Chytil (NYR)
Alex Formenton (OTT)
Martin Necas (CAR)
All four made their NHL debuts, but were eventually sent back before breaking the first threshold. Only Chytil remains in the North American professional ranks, currently playing for the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL.
Teddy Purcell, Lauri Korpikoski Sign Overseas
Two of the more notable names left without an NHL contract when the 2017-18 season began have come to terms on new deals elsewhere. Teddy Purcell, a former 65-point scorer who of late was on a PTO with the Boston Bruins, signed with the KHL’s Avangard Omsk today, the team announced. Lauri Korpikoski, fresh off a strong campaign with the Dallas Stars and Columbus Blue Jackets, somewhat surprisingly drew little attention this off-season and has now signed with the ZSC Lions of the NLA, according to a team release. The former Edmonton teammates will each look to rejuvenate their careers overseas this season.
Purcell, 32, was had a roller coaster career. The undrafted University of Maine product made a surprise jump to the NHL with the Los Angeles Kings in 2007-08 after just one year of college and made an immediate impact. After being swapped for Jeff Halpern early in his career, Purcell took off with the Tampa Bay Lightning, scoring 51 points his first season and 65 the next. His scoring continued, but that didn’t stop the Bolts from trading him to the Edmonton Oilers, who in turn traded him to the Florida Panthers less than two years later. During this time, Purcell had continued to be a consistent scorer no matter where he landed. So, when Purcell given nearly no attention in the free agent market last year and ended up back in L.A. and soon after buried in the minors, it came as a shock to many. This time around, no one was surprised when Purcell was unable to turn his tryout in Boston into a contract, but the fact remains that there is still no evidence that Purcell ever stopped being a solid play-making forward. Now in Russia, Purcell has the potential to light it up with Avangard. Don’t be surprised if the swift winger scores early and often in the KHL and catches the eye of the Canadian Olympic team.
As for Korpikoski, his off-season went much like Purcell’s last year. 20 points in 60 games aren’t eye-popping numbers, but it was a pleasantly surprising season for Korpikoski in Dallas. The two-way forward had never been a big producer – his career high 40 points came back in 2010-11 with the Phoenix Coyotes, a team on which he was pressed into a top-six role due to a lack of talent – but Korpikoski had made a career out of his well-rounded game. A 2004 first-round pick of the New York Rangers, the now-31-year-old was a hard-working and reliable player for long stretches in New York and Arizona, but a drop-off in production in the desert and a subsequent trade to the Edmonton Oilers in 2015 looked like the beginning of the end. Yet, the Stars took a gamble last summer and it paid off with a sold effort from Korpikoski and a trade return of young defenseman Dillon Heatherington from Columbus at the deadline. However, the renewed interest never came and Korpikoski has had to settle for Switzerland. With ZSC, Korpikoski will join a talented NLA team and will get a chance to skate alongside NHL veterans like Robert Nilsson and Drew Shore. While Finland is in better shape for the upcoming Winter Games than the U.S. or Canada, don’t count out the possibility of the veteran Finn winger from getting the call to go to Pyeongchang as well.
Lightning Notes: Kucherov, Sergachev
While the top two picks from 2016 (Toronto’s Auston Matthews and Winnipeg’s Patrik Laine) have been pegged as the next two players that are set to surpass the $10MM mark in salary, Jared Clinton of The Hockey News suggests that Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov should also be in that mix. The 24-year-old is off to a flying start this season having scored in each of the first seven games which is quite a way to follow up a 2016-17 campaign where he finished fourth in league scoring with 86 points.
While it’s fair to suggest that GM Steve Yzerman would like to keep Kucherov at or below the $8.5MM that Steven Stamkos is making, that’s going to be a tough sell with some of the deals in the double-digit millions that have been handed out since then. The salary cap continues to go up (albeit only slightly recently) so his value will be higher through cap percentages while he will also have arbitration rights, something that wasn’t the case coming off of his rookie deal. Add those together and Tampa has a player that could very well be the next one to sign for $10MM or more as soon as next July.
More from Tampa Bay:
- The team has a decision to make in the coming days regarding defenseman Mikhail Sergachev, notes Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. The 19-year-old is one of the junior-aged players who will burn a year of their entry-level contract once they play in their tenth game and he has already played in seven, recording four assists while averaging nearly 12 minutes per night. Yzerman had the following to say on the situation: “For Mikhail as an individual, No. 1 it’s important that young players play. How many minutes is he going to play? How many games? From a team perspective, we’re trying to win. We’re trying to make the playoffs. Are we a better team with him or not? You weight all of those things and watch over the course of time, is he headed in the right direction? So far, he’s done fine.” At this point, it seems likely that Sergachev will play past the nine-game mark which will turn the focus to the 40th game. At that point, the Lightning won’t receive the conditional second-round pick from the Canadiens as part of the offseason trade that involved Jonathan Drouin while it will guarantee him a year accrued towards UFA eligibility as well.
Kucherov Notches Goal In Seventh Consecutive Game
Nikita Kucherov has joined some elite company. Becoming only the fourth player in the last 30+ years to do so, Kucherov notched a goal in his seventh straight game. He joins powerhouse names like Mario Lemieux, Mike Bossy and Wayne Gretzky as one of only six players during the modern era to score in each of his team’s first seven contests. When asked about his scoring prowess yesterday, Kucherov shrugged it off, stating how the “W” was far more important than individual accolades. He now has eight goals on the season.
The Lightning, a preseason favorite by some to win the Stanley Cup, have been on a tear to start out the season. Buoyed by Kucherov’s hot start, the Bolts are off to a 5-1-0 start. While it is early, it’s certainly of note to see what a healthy Tampa Bay squad is capable of doing.
Only in his fifth season, Kucherov was a second round pick (58th overall) in the 2011 draft. Since the 2014-15 season, Kucherov has posted 60 or more points, culminating with 85 (40-45) last season. With 10 points in just six games (7-3), Kucherov seems to be on his way to another dominant year.