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Morning Snapshots: Stamkos, McDonagh, Sherwood, Panarin, Quenneville

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News and notes from around the NHL this morning:

  • Despite reports that Steven Stamkos may return to the Tampa Bay Lightning, Tampa Bay Times writer Joe Smith reports that Stamkos will not play tonight against the Dallas Stars. Stamkos took part in the morning skate but confirmed that he will not lace up the skates this weekend. The Lightning have four games left on the schedule, including one each against the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs—two teams the Lightning are chasing for the East’s final wildcard spot. If Stamkos returns from his knee injury, expect him to play in those high-stakes games.
  • The New York Rangers will most likely be without captain Ryan McDonagh for a second straight game. NHL.com’s Dan Rosen reports that McDonagh did not skate with the team this morning ahead of its game against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Rangers captain suffered an undisclosed injury this week and missed Friday’s game. Coach Alain Vigneault did not expand on McDonagh’s injury, but assured reporters that it is day-to-day rather than something serious. Leaving McDonagh out may be nothing more than precautionary as the Rangers have all but locked up the first wild card slot in the East.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have assigned forward Kole Sherwood to the AHL Cleveland Monsters this morning. The Blue Jackets signed the undrafted free agent in July 2015, and the Ohio native lit up the OHL with the Flint Firebirds this season. Sherwood scored 33G and 52A in 60 games, and an additional 4G and 1A in 5 playoff games. The Blue Jackets prospect may make his professional debut today against the Iowa Wild.
  • According to TheAthletic’s Scott Powers, Chicago Blackhawks forward Artemi Panarin would hit his $1.75MM Schedule B bonus as of today. Panarin can trigger that bonus by finishing in the top-ten forward in scoring this season. If the season ended today, Panarin would sit 11th overall, but because Brent Burns is a defenseman, Panarin remains the tenth highest-scoring forward this season. Panarin may be looking over his shoulder, however, as both Winnipeg Jets’ Blake Wheeler and Dallas Stars’ Tyler Seguin are only one point behind.
  • The New Jersey Devils have reassigned forward John Quenneville to the AHL Albany Devils. The Devils rookie has 1G and 3A in 12 NHL games, but 12G and 29A in 53 AHL games this season. With the New Jersey Devils well outside the NHL playoff picture, the organization now focuses on Albany, where the Devils hold a playoff spot by only two points.

Minor Transactions: 4/1/2017

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There may be just a little more than a week remaining in the NHL regular season, but teams are still making roster moves. We’ll track all of the days minor league call-ups and reassignments in this post.

  • Philadelphia Flyers GM Ron Hextall announced this morning that the team has recalled forward Colin McDonald from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL. McDonald, 32, has yet to appear in the NHL this season but has 145 NHL games on his resume, a vast majority coming as a member of the New York Islanders. He is expected to be in the team’s lineup tonight as the Flyers are set to host their Metro Division rivals, the New Jersey Devils. McDonald, the Phantoms captain, has tallied 23 goals with 18 assists in 67 AHL games and has helped the team to the third best record in the league. The recall of McDonald seems strange on the surface, as Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post notes via Twitter. The team has plenty of healthy options and a lengthy stay in Philadelphia may have a negative impact on the Phantoms AHL playoff chances. Perhaps it’s a reward for the veteran pro, who has had a strong season, giving him a chance to earn a larger paycheck while in the NHL, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him returned to Lehigh Valley after tonight’s game.
  • Joel Vermin continues to rack up the frequent flyer miles as the 25-year-old native of Switzerland was again reassigned to Syracuse of the AHL, according to Lightning GM Steve Yzerman. Vermin has been called up seven different times this season, only to be reassigned each time. In 16 games for Tampa Bay, Vermin has tallied three assists in 10:00 of ice time per night. Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times suggests the reassignment bodes well for Nikita Kucherov, who missed the Lightning’s victory over Detroit Thursday night due to an illness, but would appear set to return to the ice tonight.
  • The St. Louis Blues announced via Twitter that they have recalled defenseman Petteri Lindbohm from the Chicago Wolves of the AHL on an emergency basis. Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch adds that fellow blue liner Robert Bortuzzo was hurt in last night’s 2 – 1 shootout loss to Colorado and may not be able to play tomorrow. Additionally, Carl Gunnarsson is still out, thus necessitating the call up of Lindbohm. In five earlier appearances this season with the Blues, Lindbohm is pointless with four penalty minutes while averaging under 13 minutes of ice time a night.

Lightning Injury Notes: Stamkos, Johnson, Kucherov

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Injuries are a harsh reality in the NHL and something each team is forced to deal with each season. Tampa Bay, however, has perhaps experienced more than their fair share of health woes this season, losing captain Steven Stamkos and gritty, two-way winger Ryan Callahan for much of the year. In addition, the team has had to manage at times without stalwart defenseman Anton Stralman as well as top-six forwards Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov for short stretches this season because of injuries. All told, the Lightning have used 33 different skaters this season with 30 appearing in at least 10 games.

While the injuries have derailed what many pundits thought would be a Stanley Cup contender, the Lighting have displayed tremendous resiliency and remain within striking distance of a postseason berth. Currently three points behind Boston for the final playoff spot in the east, Tampa Bay’s chances might get a shot in the arm as the team enters the final stretch. As Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times writes, Stamkos is close to returning and may play as early as tonight when the Lightning host the Montreal Canadiens.

Stamkos has been skating with the club for the last while and according to Smith, was one of the last players to leave the ice at the team’s optional skate Thursday. He was expected to be reevaluated yesterday and if all checks out, he could be in the Lightning lineup for the first time in nearly five months for tonight’s contest. Of course with another game slated for Sunday, head coach Jon Cooper would likely have to monitor the captain’s minutes but Stamkos’ return would certainly represent a much-needed boost to Tampa’s playoff chances.

  • In the same article, Smith also touches on the status of center Tyler Johnson, who has missed the last 10 games with a lower-body injury. He finally joined Stamkos and the rest of his teammates on the ice for the first time in three weeks on Thursday and while that is a positive development, Smith points out that it’s “hard to tell” whether Johnson will be able to suit up this weekend following just one optional skating session. Johnson has posted 19 goals and 44 points in 64 games and is an important player in the team’s top-six as well as on the power play.
  • Perhaps Tampa Bay’s best player, at least with Stamkos sidelined, Nikita Kucherov sat out Tampa Bay’s 5 – 3 win over Detroit Thursday night due to an illness. Smith notes that the bug has made it’s rounds over the last couple of months in Tampa, afflicting Jason Garrison and Victor Hedman as well as Cooper at various points. The hope is that Kucherov will be ready to go tonight. The 23-year-old Russian may well merit MVP consideration with his performance this season. Through 68 appearances, Kucherov has 38 goals and 80 points while averaging a career-high 19:34 of ice time per night. A healthy Kucherov along with the potential returns of Stamkos and Johnson would certainly make the team’s attach much more formidable and presuming the team is able to squeak into the playoffs, the Lightning should be a challenging out in the first round.

Morning Notes: Patrick, Johnson, Parise

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Thought the Brandon Wheat Kings came into their WHL playoff series as underdogs, it looked like the series could be a long one because of Nolan Patrick and his recent dominance. Instead Patrick would never appear in the series, held out with a lower-body injury for all four of the Medicine Hat Tigers victories. A 3-2 win last night showed how lopsided the series was without Patrick, as the Tigers out shot Brandon 54-25.

It has been a very disappointing year for Patrick, who missed a large chunk of the season, the World Juniors and now the playoffs. Mike Morreale of NHL.com still thinks he’ll go first overall, and reminds us of some of the other injuries to top players in their draft year or immediately following. Patrick’s only real competition for the #1 spot is Nico Hischier of the Halifax Mooseheads, who was excellent in tying up his QMJHL series at 2-2. Hischier had four hits, was 10/16 on faceoffs and scored the game winner on the powerplay.

  • Tyler Johnson was back out on the ice before Tampa Bay Lightning practice today and though he’s still not sure when he’ll get back into the lineup, he told Bryan Burns of NHL.com he hopes to soon. “I better [return] or I’m going to be pretty upset,” he told Burns after the skate. Johnson has been out since the March 9th game that saw three Tampa Bat centers hurt, and would be a huge boost to a club still right in the thick of the playoff race. With Steven Stamkos upgraded to day-to-day (and taking line rushes on the top unit today), Tampa Bay might be getting healthy just in time to make some noise in the final few weeks of the season.
  • Michael Russo of the Star Tribune reports that Zach Parise was out skating at the optional practice for the Minnesota Wild today. Parise took a stick in the eye on Tuesday night and had to leave the game, a scary moment for Wild fans and players alike. The alternate captain was in all kinds of agony on the ice after smashing his head on the way down. Russo reports that though he’s likely to miss tonight’s game against the Ottawa Senators, he may return sooner than many expected. The Wild need to get back on track after going 1-7-2 in their last ten and falling within striking distance of the St. Louis Blues. While they’re definitely going to make the playoffs, if they continue playing as they are right now it would be an early exit.

Florida Panthers Recall Adam Wilcox On Emergency Basis

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After James Reimer took a hard hit to the head from the Maple Leafs’ Brian Boyle on Tuesday night and had to leave the game, the team has now recalled another goaltender. Adam Wilcox, newly acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning at the trade deadline, has been brought up for tonight’s game in Montreal. He’ll back up Reto Berra tonight.

Wilcox has found a new gear in Springfield since the trade, recording two shutouts and a .932 save percentage in nine games. The 24-year old still has plenty of upside, though as with most goaltenders it’s hard to project where they’ll be as they move through their twenties. Yet to make his debut, he might get a chance down the stretch if Reimer is held out for the rest of the year.

It wasn’t the first time Reimer has dealt with this sort of head injury. Back when he was a member of the Maple Leafs he suffered a similar head shot at the hands of Brian Gionta and the Montreal Canadiens. It took him 18 games to get back into the net, and even then didn’t look like himself for some time. Though the Panthers are technically still in a playoff race, they should shut Reimer down for the remainder of the season and protect their asset. The team signed him to a five-year deal in the offseason, and will hope he can take more and more load off Roberto Luongo—who is dealing with a lower-body injury—over the next few years.

Evening Transactions: Ducks, Lightning

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Some assorted transactions from around the NHL this evening…

  • The Ducks have recalled left winger Ondrej Kase from the San Diego Gulls of the AHL, the team announced. The 21-year-old has played in 51 games this season, compiling five goals, nine assist, and 16 penalty minutes. The former seventh-round pick has also appeared in 11 AHL games, collecting eight points.
  • Forward Joel Vermin has been recalled by the Lightning from the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, the team announced. The Bern, Switzerland product has collected three assists in 15 games this year, and he has 21 career games under his belt. The 25-year-old has also appeared in another 43 contests with the Crunch, collecting 12 goals, 16 assists, and 17 penalty minutes. The former seventh-round pick joined the organization back in 2013.

Morning Notes: Gaudreau, Street, Pedrie, Vermin

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Don’t worry Flames fans, the headline “Islanders Sign Gaudreau” shouldn’t scare you, at least not in 2017. The New York team has signed Johnny’s younger brother Matt Gaudreau to an amateur tryout for their AHL affiliate. The younger Gaudreau has just completed his senior season at Boston College, where he scored 35 points in 40 games.

Not blessed with the exceptional skill of his brother, Gaudreau is similarly sized at 5’9 150-lbs and must rely on his quickness and playmaking ability. While he does have potential to play at a higher level, his offensive upside isn’t as high as his brother and thus will have a hard time getting a look at the NHL level.

  • The Detroit Red Wings have called up Ben Street on emergency condition, but Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reports that it will turn into a regular recall should he not play in tonight’s game. The team is playing the third of three consecutive games, likely leading to some soreness and minor injuries.
  • Steve Zipay of Newsday reports that Vince Pedrie of Penn State may be close to a deal with the New York Rangers, as the free agent forward sent out a now deleted Instagram photo with the caption “It comes with a heavy heart that I announce I will not be returning to Penn State for my remaining two years…I am extremely excited to start my professional hockey career with the New York Rangers.”  Pedrie scored 30 points in 39 games in just his sophomore season, though he is already 23-years old.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have sent Joel Vermin back to the AHL after playing in the previous four games for the club. The 25-year old winger has just three points in 15 games in the NHL this season, and with the team getting healthier, he’ll now return to help the Syracuse Crunch into the playoffs.

Atlantic Division Notes: Sabres, Johnson, Johansson

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Despite being separated by just 100 miles geographically, the difference in success between the respective roster rebuilds in Toronto and Buffalo is much greater. While Toronto is closing in on a potential playoff berth, the Sabres appear set to miss the postseason dance for the sixth straight season. The Score’s Craig Hagerman lists three reasons Buffalo’s rebuild has not been as successful as the Maple Leafs.

First, Hagerman argues, once the team landed top draft prospect Jack Eichel the Sabres overextended themselves by dealing precious young assets to acquire veteran forwards Ryan O’Reilly and Jamie McGinn from Colorado. Buffalo dealt two former first-round draft picks, Nikita Zadorov and Mikhail Grigorenko, along with prospect J.T. Compher and the 31st choice in the 2015 draft to get O’Reilly and McGinn. Given Grigorenko’s and Zadorov’s struggles in two seasons with Colorado versus O’Reilly’s solid play for Buffalo, it’s fair to debate that the Sabres have so far come out ahead in that swap. While a case can be made the O’Reilly has been a good fit for the Sabres, able to take the tougher assignments and freeing up Eichel to see inferior competition, ultimately Hagerman believes a rebuilding team should hoard it’s young assets further into the process.

The scribe also credits Toronto for ridding themselves of their most onerous longtime commitments, finding takers for the expensive contracts of Dion Phaneuf, Phil Kessel and Jonathan Bernier, while at the same time bringing in young talent to augment their rebuild. Buffalo, on the other hand, has four players – Evander Kane, Matt Moulson, Zach Bogosian and Tyler Ennis – that account for roughly $40MM against the salary cap at least through the 2017-18 campaign. Finally, Hagerman points out that the Leafs are getting more production from their young players than Buffalo is. Toronto has Mitch Marner, William Nylander and Auston Matthews, all of whom have either reached or are on a 60-point pace as rookies. Buffalo has Eichel, who has been excellent, but beyond that their top picks in recent drafts, players like Sam Reinhart and Rasmus Ristolainen, have yet to fulfill their full potential. That’s not to say they won’t, only that Toronto’s top prospects are maturing at a quicker clip helping to advance their rebuild at a faster pace than Buffalo’s.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • While team captain Steven Stamkos is progressing in his rehab from a knee injury and may be nearing a return to the ice, fellow center Tyler Johnson is no closer to resuming his 2016-17 campaign, according to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. As Smith writes, the 26-year-old Johnson hasn’t even begun skating on his own, lessening the likelihood that he will return during the regular season. Johnson, who has struggled to duplicate his breakout performance in 2014-15 when he tallied 72 points, has registered just 19 goals and 44 points in 64 appearances this season. The Lightning have a decision to make as Johnson will be a RFA this summer and will undoubtedly command a sizable raise despite his decreased production the last couple of years.
  • According to Cap Friendly, via Twitter, the NHL has rejected the ELC contract signed yesterday by Swedish defense prospect Emil Johansson with the Boston Bruins due to “an issue with payment structure.” Johansson was Boston’s seventh-round selection in the 2014 entry draft and is having a solid season with Djurgardens of the Swedish League, ranking second among the club’s blue liners in scoring. It’s likely just a minor setback requiring the two sides to restructure the agreement before re-filing it with the league.

Slater Koekkoek Recalled By Tampa Bay Lightning

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The Tampa Bay Lightning are pulling out all the stops to try and squeak into the playoffs, and today they recalled Slater Koekkoek from the AHL to help them get there. The 23-year old has split the season between the Lightning and the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch. As Bryan Burns of NHL.com reports, Koekkoek is likely the replacement for Jason Garrison, who was injured last night against the Boston Bruins.

The former 10th-overall pick has yet to make his presence truly felt at the NHL level, struggling to find ice time with the Lightning this season even when he did play. In 29 games, he averaged just under 13 minutes a night, including playing less than ten minutes on several occasions. Though he has generally fared well in the AHL since dominating for the Windsor Spitfires in 2013-14, his play has been somewhat disappointing at the highest level. Should he enter the lineup for Garrison, perhaps this time he’ll be allowed to stretch his legs a little bit and show what he can do in a playoff race.

After a win last night, the Lightning find themselves just three points out of a playoff spot with a game in hand on the Bruins. While they’ll have to fight off the Islanders and Hurricanes—who are on an unbelievable 6-0-3 run to vault them back into the picture—it is not inconceivable for the Lightning to make it in. If they do, Koekkoek could be a pretty nice insurance plan for a team that has faced injury concerns all season long. It’s unclear how long Garrison will be out (if at all), but for now pencil in Koekkoek for their game tonight against the Red Wings.

Injury Notes: Ferland, Stone, Leivo, Rust

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Calgary Flames winger Micheal Ferland has rejoined his teammates in Nashville today after being quarantined for almost a week. The 24-year old had showed signs of the mumps outbreak that had swept through the NHL briefly, but is now symptom free. He’ll be back in on the top line with Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan tonight, according to Kristen Odland of Postmedia.

Here are some other injury notes from around the league:

  • Josh Leivo will take the spot of the injured Eric Fehr in tonight’s Maple Leafs lineup according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet. With Nikita Soshnikov still on the mend following a big hit from Zdeno Chara, Leivo will look to get back to his scoring ways tonight. The young winger had nine points in a ten game stretch last month when Mitch Marner was dealing with an injury, and has considerable offensive upside. He’ll slot in on the fourth line tonight beside Brian Boyle and Matt Martin.
  • Despite skating with the team in a regular jersey this morning, Cedric Paquette will not return to the lineup for Tampa Bay according to Caley Chelios of FOX Sports. The Lightning center will remain out alongside Steven Stamkos and Tyler Johnson for the time being.
  • On Stamkos, he was seen skating again before practice, but admitted to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times that “time is running out” for him to return this season. Stamkos has been skating for weeks as he tries to come back from a meniscus tear in his right knee. The Lightning are currently sitting five points back with ten games to play.
  • Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports that Ottawa Senators forward Mark Stone was back skating this morning, though he won’t play tonight. Stone was out early and stayed late at practice as he works hard to get back into the Senators lineup. The team can smell first place in the Atlantic Division, and getting Stone—arguably their best forward—back before the end of the season could help them wrestle the crown away from the Montreal Canadiens. With a matchup against the fourth Metropolitan team looming in the first round, whether they should really want it is a different story.
  • Penguins’ forward Bryan Rust is almost back in the lineup reports Bill West of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review after taking part in just about everything at today’s Pittsburgh practice. Though he won’t play tonight, the 24-year old forward will likely be back in a game before the end of the week; the Penguins take on Ottawa tonight, New York (Islanders) tomorrow and Philadelphia on Sunday.
  • Three goaltenders were at practice today for the Anaheim Ducks, including John Gibson as he continues to rehab his latest injury. Head coach Randy Carlyle said today that Gibson will definitely play before the end of the regular season, though that still leaves the question of whether he’ll be tested enough to start game one of the playoffs. We’ll see how many games the young netminder gets in before Anaheim has to take on a team like the Edmonton Oilers or Calgary Flames in the first round.

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