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Snapshots: Three Stars, Keller, Makar, Boeser

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The NHL announced its three stars for the month of March as Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid has found his way to the top once again, named the first star. McDavid picked up 13 goals and 15 assists in 16 games, which pulls him into the lead for the Art Ross Trophy race. Despite the Oilers struggles, McDavid has taken his game to a new level as he has hit career highs in goals (41) and points (103) and remains six points ahead of Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov for top spot in the NHL.

Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand is the league’s second star for March as he had 10 goals and 16 assists in 15 games. Anaheim goaltender John Gibson picked up third star honors after playing in 13 games, picking up nine wins and boasting a .931 save percentage during that span.

  • Arizona Coyotes announced rookie Clayton Keller was named NHL Rookie of the Month for the second time this season. Keller, who won the award in October, had a strong start to the season, but struggled during the winter months before picking it back up recently. He picked up 19 points in the month of March, including six goals over 17 games. The 19-year-old is ranked second among rookies in points with 63 behind the New York Islanders’ Mathew Barzal.
  • BSN Denver’s Adrian Dater tweets that the Colorado Avalanche will have to wait a little while longer to get bring in 2017 first-round pick Cale Makar into the fold. The fourth-overall pick has decided to return to the University of Massachusetts – Amherst for his sophomore year.  An elite power-play defenseman, Makar had a solid freshman year at Amherst, putting up five goals and 21 points and the Avalanche had hopes of instantly upgrading its defense for next year.
  • Sportsnet’s Rick Dhaliwal tweets that it is doubtful that Vancouver Canucks rookie Brock Boeser plays for Team USA at this year’s 2018 IIHF World Championships in Denmark. Boeser went down for the season with a back injury and likely will spend his summer getting ready for the 2018-19 season. The 21-year-old had a great rookie season in which he scored 29 goals and picked up 55 points.

Anaheim Ducks Sign Chris Kelly For Remainder Of The Season

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Hours after the Boston Bruins signed Team USA Olympic captain and long-time pro Brian Gionta to a contract, the Anaheim Ducks have made a similar move. Veteran center and Team Canada captain Chris Kelly is on his way back to the NHL, as TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that he has inked a one-year deal with the Ducks. However, Kelly is commanding $1.25MM plus bonuses, adds Lebrun, compared to just $700K for Gionta.

The difference in salary between the two veterans could be explained by their recent production, as Kelly recorded three points en route to a bronze medal with Canada. In contrast, Gionta failed to record a point as the Americans were bounced in the quarterfinals. However, going back to 2016-17, Gionta performed far better, registering 35 points in 82 games for the Buffalo Sabres. Kelly too played a full 82-game season last year, suiting up in every game for the Ottawa Senators, but saw only limited ice time and added just 12 points. Yet, it is Kelly who will make nearly $300K in pro-rated salary before bonuses, while Gionta will make just over half of that with Boston.

It could also just be that Kelly is being valued on his expected role with the team. While Gionta is likely to be a 13th or 14th forward for the Bruins, who have for all intents and purposes already clinched a playoff spot with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference, Kelly will likely push for a starting spot on the team’s fourth line as they fight for a playoff spot in the tight Pacific Division and Western Conference wild cared race. While scoring and power play production have been the bigger issues for Anaheim, Kelly’s two-way ability and intelligence will only further solidify a strong defensive team. It’s a savvy for GM Bob Murray and company, especially this year when the price of trading for assets has been so high.

 

Boston Bruins Ink Brian Gionta To 1-Year Deal

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The Boston Bruins haven’t finished making moves as they announced that they have signed Team USA captain Brian Gionta to a one year, one-way contract this year worth $700K.  TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie reports (Twitter link) that the deal also contains a $100K bonus for ten games played (regular season and playoffs combined) plus an additional $50K for every playoff round Boston wins.

The move after trading for winger Rick Nash this morning, gives the Bruins two veteran leaders on the team who should increase the team’s depth at the forward position. A 15-year-veteran has a connection with the city as he played for Boston College between 1997 and 2001. After failing to find an NHL contract at the start of the season, the 39-year-old received quite a bit of attention when he captained Team USA during the Olympics to the quarterfinals in Korea these past two weeks. Despite not garnering a point in the team’s performance, Gionta still was able to catch on with Boston.

Even at his age, Gionta had a productive season last year as he scored 15 goals and added 20 assists for the Buffalo Sabres. Assuming he can break into the team’s lineup, he will likely help out the team’s fourth line or fill in for injuries as it prepares for a playoff run.

 

Deadline Notes: Plekanec, Green, Gionta, Kane, Lindberg

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While it’s still to early to know, Winnipeg Free Press’ Jeff Hamilton feels that there is a strong indication that the Winnipeg Jets are pushing to acquire Montreal Canadiens center Tomas Plekanec tonight. The 34-year-old veteran was also scratched for tonight’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, although that may just be to ensure he doesn’t get hurt right before the deadline. While there are no details on how close the two teams are, the plan, according to Hamilton, is for the Jets to use Plekanec on the team’s third line alongside Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers, which would give the team a deep lineup. Andrew Copp would move to the team’s fourth line and would join Joel Armia and Adam Lowry.

The Jets were supposedly working hard to acquire Derrick Brassard Friday, but lost out to the Pittsburgh Penguins and were forced to look for another center to fill their needs. While Plekanec is a step down from Brassard, the veteran may get some new life with the Jets, especially if he gets to play with Laine and Ehlers.

  • With the trade deadline less than two days away, the Detroit Red Wings still have their top trade chip remaining on their roster, but the problem is that he’s still hurt. In fact, the top rental defenseman on the market hasn’t played in five games and could miss Sunday’s game as well. While Green as practiced with the team twice now, including Friday, MLive’s Ansar Khan suggests that while there is little doubt that Green will be moved by Monday, the timing of the injury could easily diminish the team’s returns for him. He writes teams like the Tampa Bay Lightning might pause first if they feel he could re-injure himself the moment they acquire him.
  • As mentioned earlier today, there has been some interest in Team USA captain Brian Gionta. However, Pierre LeBrun adds that a couple of East teams have expressed interest in Gionta, including the Boston Bruins. While nothing in imminent, a deal could be made at some point this weekend.
  • The Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington writes that the Buffalo Sabres are holding forward Evander Kane out of the lineup tonight. Kane, one of the most anticipated trade candidates join a group of players who have been held out in the last day or two as the team doesn’t want to risk losing a player to injury just before the deadline. “Management thought it was the best decision moving forward and the best decision for Evander,” coach Phil Housley said in his pregame media briefing two hours before faceoff. “… That’s the situation for right now.” No other pending trade candidates were scratched.
  • Tobias Lindberg, who the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired from the Vegas Golden Knights Friday in the Derrick Brassard trade, has been assigned to the AHL, but not to their affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, but back to the Chicago Wolves, the affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights, according to Chicago Wolves broadcaster Jason Shaver. The Penguins didn’t want to move him at this point of the season to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, but can still recall him at any point during the season.

Snapshots: Gionta, Soshnikov, Leivo

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Brian Gionta may have been invisible at the Olympics, but he still managed to catch the eye of one NHL team. The USA captain failed to record a point, took only 16 shots, and cleanly lost several face-offs in an effort that seemingly had quieted the talk of his NHL comeback. However, WGR 550 in Buffalo is reporting that Gionta is finalizing a deal to join a team for the remainder of the season. Gionta must sign by the trade deadline Monday to be eligible for postseason play, but WGR’s Paul Hamilton spoke with agent Steve Bartlett, who says to expect a deal with a “playoff-bound team” sometime this weekend. Despite a lackluster performance in Pyeongchang, Gionta is less than a year removed from an 82-game, 35-point campaign with the Buffalo Sabres in 2016-17 and was eager to re-sign with Buffalo this off-season, only to be rejected by the new administration. Having worked out during the year, including skating with the AHL’s Rochester Americans, Gionta is ready to go. The only question is whether he plays like he did with the Sabres last year or with Team USA last week.

  • The St. Louis Blues announced that they have activated Nikita Soshnikov off of injured reserve and he could soon make his debut for the team. Soshnikov was acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs last week for a fourth-round pick, but was on IR when traded (because of course he was “injured”, the Leafs weren’t just circumventing roster limits) and remained there after the move. With the Blues on a three-game losing streak and playing poorly for weeks now, maybe Soshnikov can be the injection into the St. Louis lineup that gets the team back on track. The 24-year-old has been a near point-per-game player in the AHL this season, but without the same success at the NHL level.
  • With Soshnikov and Eric Fehr now out of town, the Leafs’ lineup has opened up enough to finally give Josh Leivo some play time. TSN’s Mark Masters reports that Leivo is in the lineup for tonight’s game, his first game action in months. The 24-year-old is no longer waivers-exempt, so Toronto has refrained from trying to move him to the AHL at any point this season. As a result, Leivo has skated in only 12 NHL games this season, the last of which came back in December. When Leivo takes the ice tonight against the Boston Bruins, it will be his first game action of 2018. Despite being cold and having little production to show for his limited ice time this season, its no coincidence that Leivo is finally getting into a game just prior to the trade deadline. While it’s been disputed whether or not he has asked for a trade out of Toronto, Leivo could easily just be in the lineup tonight for the purposes of being showcased to other teams.

Brian Gionta “Optimistic” About NHL Contract Following Olympics

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39-year old Brian Gionta didn’t want to uproot his family and chase a contract somewhere around the NHL last offseason, and instead pursued another Olympic medal as captain of Team USA. Now, as Gionta tries to bounce back after an early upset in the tournament, his agent is still working the phones for his next opportunity. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) spoke with agent Steve Bartlett about Gionta’s future, and it seems promising.

…I think he’ll have a landing spot when all is said and done. We’re optimistic. I’ll continue to have discussions with interested teams, but right now our list is getting pretty short as far as what we think is a good fit for him and vice-versa.

While LeBrun can’t pry out who the interested teams may be, it’s no surprise that there will be a landing spot for Gionta. Despite his age, Gionta is coming off a solid season in Buffalo in which he scored 15 goals and 35 points. That level of production has never escaped the undersized winger, and it could come in handy down the stretch for a playoff-bound team. Gionta is revered as an excellent leader around the league, and comes with 112 games of playoff experience.

Though he likely won’t play a top-six role wherever he goes, what better player to add to your fourth-line mix than a proven leader that can play in all different situations. LeBrun speculates on a fit in Tampa Bay (which is not one of the teams that has reached out, according to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times) and Boston, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see any playoff hopeful add Gionta. He’ll have to sign before the February 26th trade deadline to be eligible for the postseason, but the gold medal game is luckily just a day before that.

Gionta, Wisniewski Drawing NHL Attention

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Team USA won’t kick off their Olympic tournament until Wednesday, but that hasn’t stopped NHL teams from already reaching out to the agents of veteran Americans Brian Gionta and James Wisniewski. Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press writes that the unemployed former NHLers may not stay that way for long after the Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea wrap up. Teams have already begun to inquire into the availability of both long-time pros for contracts through the end of the regular season. At this time of year, the concept of bringing in game-ready, experienced assets without paying inflated prices is sure to entice many squads.

Gionta, 39, and Wisniewski, 33, will only have about a day and a half following the end of the Olympics to sign in the NHL and remain eligible for the postseason, Whyno writes. This means that the agents for both players will be busy working the phones while the players are hard at work in pursuit of a gold medal. The case for each is simple. Gionta is less than a year removed from NHL action and played in all 82 games with the Buffalo Sabres last season, recording 35 points, which was good enough for sixth among Buffalo forwards. He has both the experience and ability to be a depth asset up front for a contender. Wisniewski, on the other hand, last played a full NHL season in 2014-15. A season-ending injury in the first and only game of his 2015-16 season and Carolina Hurricanes tenure derailed Wisniewski’s NHL career, but after bouncing around Russia, Switzerland, Germany, and the AHL over the past two seasons, looking especially impressive with the Deutsche Eishockey Liga’s Kassel Huskies this fall, Wisniewski has proven to still be a capable player. A strong outing at the Olympics for the offensive-minded, right-shot defenseman would make him all the more attractive addition.

While the agents do their jobs of selling their players, Gionta and Wisniewski will do theirs, leading the American team through their Olympic schedule. Both need a strong individual performance to boost their value to interested NHL teams, but will surely be more invested in the performance of the team. Despite several promising young players like Ryan Donato, Jordan Greenway, and Troy Terry and two of the best players in the Swiss NLA, Garrett Roe and Mark Arcobello, Team USA will undoubtedly look to their only two established stars to be the leaders on the ice and in the locker room.

Bruins Notes: Acciari, Czarnik, Donato

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The Boston Bruins have been on a roll for going on three months now. The team is 27-4-4 since November 16th – a whopping .829 points percentage in that span – and is neck-and-neck with the Tampa Bay Lightning for the best record in the NHL. A major part of that success has been balance and chemistry among the forward lines. Over this long streak of impressive play, the Bruins have been lining up the same four groupings in every game in which they have access to all twelve forwards. Outside of a recent Brad Marchand five-game suspension, during which the Bruins dropped their first regulation loss since December 14th, the only regular up front who has missed considerable time is energy line winger Noel Acciari. Acciari has been banged up for much of the campaign, including missing 13 games with a fractured finger early on, when the team was battling severe injury issues. However, his latest sidelining comes courtesy of a lower-body injury back in January. Since then, Acciari has missed the last six games and, according to coach Bruce Cassidy, will miss another tonight against the Buffalo Sabres. However, there is some optimism that Acciari could be ready to go tomorrow against the New Jersey Devils.

  • The question now becomes whether Acciari can reclaim his regular fourth-line role. His replacement, AHL All-Star Austin Czarnik, has performed admirably in his stead and has received praise from Cassidy for his play. The quick, skilled forward, who is one of the AHL’s top scorers with 42 points through 38 games with the Providence Bruins, has added a new dimension to the team’s bottom line. Playing alongside Czarnik, Sean Kuraly broke a 29-game goal drought on Tuesday night and then added another on Wednesday, while Tim Schaller scored this uncharacteristic highlight reel goal on Wednesday as well. Czarnik himself has a three-game points streak going and has fit in well in Boston. While it may be difficult to figure out how to fit Czarnik onto the roster long-term, it could be worth the effort. Acciari, in comparison, had just one point in eight games prior to his injury – though that stretch was preceded by a three-game goal-scoring outburst.
  • Czarnik’s immediate production, on Boston’s checking line no less, speaks both to the ability of the team and the depth of talent available to them. Another dark horse depth addition down the stretch – and yet another reason the deadline could be quiet for the Bruins – is a name that many will hear in the coming weeks: Ryan Donato. One of the four college players named to Team USA for the ongoing Olympic Games, Donato is not just expected to play for the U.S., but to star. A Harvard product and son of former Bruin and Crimson head coach Ted Donato, Ryan is arguably the best pure scorer on the American roster. He has recorded 21 goals in just 23 games this season, leading the NCAA in scoring and earning him a Hobey Baker Award nomination. That kind of ability is why there are big expectations for him in both Pyeongchang and in Boston. Many foresee the Bruins trying to sign Donato as soon as his junior year season ends and perhaps adding him to the roster for the playoffs, much like they did last year with Charlie McAvoy. 

IIHF Releases 2018 Olympic Schedule

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This article was originally published in September when the schedule was first released. After a request in our live chat yesterday, we’re pushing it to the top again.

The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) released the schedule for the 2018 Olympic Men’s Hockey tournament in Pyeongchang, South Korea today, and as expected the games will go from February 14th to 25th—though, because of the time difference North America will be watching the gold medal game late on the 24th. The first matchups will be Slovakia vs Russia and USA vs Slovenia, both games featuring Group B opponents.

The host South Korean team will make their Olympic debut on February 15th against the Czech Republic, while reigning champion Team Canada starts against Switzerland, a team that has given them quite a bit of trouble on the international stage in the past. The entire schedule is listed below, all times Central.

February 14th

Slovakia vs OAR – 6:10am

USA vs Slovenia – 6:10am

Finland vs Germany – 9:10pm

February 15th

Sweden vs Norway – 1:40am

Czech Republic vs South Korea – 6:10am

Canada vs Switzerland – 6:10am

USA vs Slovakia – 9:10pm

February 16th

OAR vs Slovenia – 1:40am

Finland vs Norway – 6:10am

Sweden vs Germany – 6:10am

Canada vs Czech Republic – 9:10pm

February 17th

Switzerland vs South Korea –  1:40am

USA vs OAR – 6:10am

Slovakia vs Slovenia – 6:10am

Germany vs Norway – 9:10pm

February 18th

Czech Republic vs Switzerland – 1:40am

Canada vs South Korea – 6:10am

Sweden vs Finland – 6:10am

February 19th

TBD Playoff – 9:10pm

February 20th

TBD Playoff – 1:40am

TBD Playoff – 6:10am

TBD Playoff – 6:10am

TBD Quarterfinal – 9:10pm

February 21st

TBD Quarterfinal – 1:40am

TBD Quarterfinal – 6:10am

TBD Quarterfinal – 6:10am

February 23rd

TBD Semifinal – 1:40am

TBD Semifinal – 6:10am

February 24th

TBD Bronze Medal Game – 6:10am

TBD Gold Medal Game – 10:10pm

A few things to remember about these Games. One, the NHL will not be sending players to compete in the tournament, including all those in the minor leagues signed to two-way contracts. AHL-only deals will be allowed to go, as will those playing abroad. Two, the NHL trade deadline is set for February 26th, giving teams a bit of time to sign any international players and still have them eligible for the playoffs.

The IIHF also released the Women’s hockey schedule, a tournament that may actually get a boost from the lack of NHL presence at the Games. The Canadian team has won four straight gold medals and should be a powerhouse once again. They will however be without long-time leader Hayley Wickenheiser, who retired from the sport this January. Team USA will try to follow their impressive overtime win at the World Championships in April with another gold medal; they won the inaugural women’s tournament in the 1998 Nagano Games. The schedule for their tournament is as follows:

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Atlantic Notes: Shaw, Zaitsev, Gionta

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The Montreal Canadiens announced today that three players had not accompanied the team on their road trip to St. Louis for tomorrow night’s game. Shea Weber is away recuperating from his foot injury, Phillip Danault is still dealing with concussion-like symptoms, and Andrew Shaw is out four to six weeks with a lower-body injury.

We’d previously heard that both Shaw and Weber could be back soon after the All-Star break, which now doesn’t appear to be the case. This is just further trouble for the Canadiens, who are now 15 points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for third in the Atlantic Division. Shaw’s injury also adds another factor to any interest in his services from around the league, as he likely won’t be healthy when the trade deadline passes on February 26th.

  • Those Maple Leafs on the other hand received some good news today when Nikita Zaitsev and Nikita Soshnikov returned to practice. The team was still without Morgan Rielly as he continues to come back from an upper-body injury, but could get Zaitsev back for Wednesday’s game. The fact that the team only recalled Kasperi Kapanen today from the minors seems to support that idea, as the team only has six healthy defensemen.
  • The Rochester Americans have signed Brian Gionta to a professional tryout, and he’ll suit up for them tomorrow night as he continues his preparation for the upcoming Olympic Games. Gionta is set to captain Team USA in Pyeongchang, with a squad of several former NHL players. Remember, that the Olympics do end just in time for any players to sign NHL contracts that would make them eligible for the playoffs. Any exceptional performances could earn a depth spot for a playoff stretch run.

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