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Snapshots: Kassian, Moore, Arvidsson

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Zack Kassian is just a point away from tying his career-high already this season and will likely set a new high water mark in goals as well. It’s perfect timing for that kind of performance as he heads towards unrestricted free agency in the summer. According to Mark Spector of Sportsnet however, the big forward may never get there.

Spector tweets that Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland has spoken several times with the representatives for Kassian and believes that the team will announce a multi-year contract before the trade deadline. That would take the 28-year old off the market and provide the team with a little more cost certainty up front. The Oilers currently have seven rostered forwards on track to become unrestricted free agents at the end of the season.

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have assigned Trevor Moore to the minor leagues on a conditioning loan, indicating the speedy forward is getting closer to a return. Moore has played just a single game since the middle of November as he dealt with various injuries, but could be another boost to a Maple Leafs’ team that is built around their offensive depth. The team has just one game before their bye week and All-Star break, meaning Moore will have plenty of time to recover fully.
  • Viktor Arvidsson has been fined $2,000 for his second citation of embellishment this season. The first incident, which comes with just a warning, was against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the end of December. This newest one came against the Boston Bruins on January 7th. Though the punishment is not very expensive at this point, it does escalate for repeat offenders and can even cause fines for a  head coach eventually.

Latest On Alexandar Georgiev

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All season long, fans and media members have speculated that the New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs could be potential trade partners when it came to the backup goaltending position. The Maple Leafs have struggled with it all year, while the Rangers have young Alexandar Georgiev seemingly being pushed out by top prospect Igor Shesterkin. Last night, Darren Dreger of TSN tweeted that the Maple Leafs were one of the teams that inquired about Georgiev and this morning James Mirtle of The Athletic takes it even further.

Mirtle writes (subscription required) that the Maple Leafs have made “multiple” inquiries into the availability of Georgiev, but that the Rangers have been asking for a young NHL player in return.

Interestingly, after the Rangers’ win last night against the New York Islanders, Dreger threw some cold water on the whirlwind rumors by tweeting that the team may be changing their mind about selling off pieces. The Rangers are after all just six points out of a playoff spot and now hold a positive goal differential.

But Georgiev’s situation doesn’t have a ton to do with the immediate success of the team. It is obvious that Shesterkin is the heir apparent at this point to Henrik Lundqvist’s crown, meaning there are too many mouths to feed for next season. Add in the fact that Georgiev is a restricted free agent at season’s end and will require a reasonable raise, and it makes sense why the team would be looking to leverage his value right now.

Teams Calling Toronto To Discuss Available Defensemen, Preliminary Talks Have Started With Jake Muzzin

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With both Morgan Reilly and Jake Muzzin out, teams have been calling Toronto to discuss any blueliners that they have available, reports TSN’s Bob McKenzie in the latest Insider Trading (video link).  However, for the time being, it appears that Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas is content to get to their bye week and All-Star break before assessing things.  It’s possible that Muzzin could be ready to go by after the break which would certainly lessen the urgency to make a move.  If not, finding the right fit could be tricky given their cap situation unless they’re willing to part with one of their established younger forwards.

Meanwhile, McKenzie notes that the team has had discussions with Muzzin’s camp about an extension though he classified it as at the very preliminary stage.  The 30-year-old is in the final year of his deal that carries a $4MM cap hit.  The Maple Leafs only have a handful of regulars on the back end under contract for next season (basically only Reilly and Justin Holl) but with the amount that they have committed up front, it’s unlikely that they’ll be able to keep both him and pending UFA Tyson Barrie.

Snapshots: Crosby, Hischier, Sandin

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The Pittsburgh Penguins were 10-6-1 after winning the last game Sidney Crosby played this season, back in the early part of November. When the captain went down to core muscle surgery he had been putting off since training camp, many wondered how the team—with several other key players already on the sideline—would stay in the playoff race.

Not only did the Penguins stay in the race, but they ended up going 18-6-4 without Crosby and now are about to get their captain back while sitting firmly in a playoff position. Crosby will make his return to the lineup against the Minnesota Wild and try to continue his point-per-game pace. If he does, it would be the 15th consecutive season that Crosby reaches that milestone.

  • Nico Hischier may not get the kind of press that other first-overall draft picks do, but he is still having a strong start to his career. After scoring 52 and 47 points in each of his first two seasons, Hischier is on pace for a new career-high this year. That play has been rewarded, as the 21-year old center will replace Kyle Palmieri at the upcoming All-Star game as the representative from the New Jersey Devils. Palmieri will miss the game with a foot injury.
  • With Rasmus Sandin taking over for Morgan Rielly in the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup tonight, the young defenseman will get another game closer to burning the first year of his entry-level deal. Sandin will play in his seventh NHL contest tonight; when he plays in ten his deal will kick in and have him on track to become a restricted free agent in 2022.

Minor Transactions: 01/14/20

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11 games are on tap for tonight in a busy evening for the NHL, including the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche clashing in an important Central Division match. The two teams are battling for home ice advantage in what would be a first round playoff series, with the Stars currently one point ahead of the Avalanche in the standings. The two teams have arrived there in very different ways, with Dallas allowing the fewest goals against in the league while Colorado ranks among the highest-scoring. As they and the rest of the NHL prepares for tonight, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled Timothy Liljegren after losing Morgan Rielly to a broken foot. The young defenseman will likely not play tonight, but now sits as the team’s seventh option as they insert Rasmus Sandin back into the lineup.
  • The Maple Leafs have also sent Mason Marchment back to the minors, an expected move after recently activating Andreas Johnsson from injured reserve. The team is still waiting on the return of Trevor Moore, while Ilya Mikheyev is not expected to play again this season.
  • Joseph Blandisi has been assigned to the AHL a few days after clearing waivers for the third time. The 25-year old forward has split his season between the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Pittsburgh Penguins, scoring five points at the NHL level.
  • The New York Rangers have sent Libor Hajek to the minor leagues, likely to get in some more game action before returning to the lineup. The 21-year old defenseman returned for the Rangers on Saturday night in St. Louis, but played just 15 minutes and was relatively ineffective. In 28 games this season Hajek has five points.

Morgan Rielly Out Eight Weeks With Broken Foot

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When the Toronto Maple Leafs recalled Rasmus Sandin from the minor leagues today, fans were excited about him potentially replacing the injured Jake Muzzin. It’s not Muzzin he’s replacing however as instead Toronto has announced that Morgan Rielly suffered a broken foot during last night’s game and will be out at least eight weeks.

The loss of Rielly is a tremendous blow to the Maple Leafs’ season, especially as they try to navigate a recent rough patch. The team now sits just a single point ahead of the Florida Panthers after being embarrassed last night and have lost three in a row to fall four points behind the second place Tampa Bay Lightning. Without Muzzin and Rielly for the next several weeks, the team suddenly looks thinner than ever on defense, a position that was already not their strength.

In Rielly’s absence, Travis Dermott will likely see an increased role but it’s not clear how the other two left defense spots will shake out. Martin Marincin was recently extended by the team but has struggled when asked to log heavy minutes in the NHL, while Sandin is still just 19 and has only six games of NHL experience under his belt.

It’s the unknown of Sandin that makes things interesting, given how much success he has had under Sheldon Keefe when they were together in the minor leagues. The 29th overall pick from 2018 recorded 28 points in 44 games last season as one of the youngest players in the AHL, and was even better in the Calder Cup playoffs. This season he was once again excellent before leaving for the World Juniors, where he was arguably the best defenseman in the tournament logging huge minutes for Sweden.

Still, the AHL and World Juniors are not the same as the NHL. With Toronto in a battle for every point just to qualify for the playoffs, the team may have to go out and get some more experienced hands to help out. How exactly they can afford it will be a creative task for the front office, given how complicated their cap structure has been this season moving players on and off long-term injured reserve. They also don’t have their first-round pick, thanks to an offseason trade with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Eastern Notes: Trouba, Panik, Palmieri, Hughes, Johnsson

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The Department of Player Safety announced that New York Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for slashing St. Louis Blues defenseman Vince Dunn Saturday. The incident happened during the third period when Dunn circled around the Rangers’ net with Trouba following who proceeded to slash at Dunn. That started a shoving match, which eventually led to a fight.

Trouba received a five-minute penalty for slashing and a 10-game misconduct, while Dunn received a two-minute penalty for roughing. Trouba has been in trouble before as he received a two-game suspension back in 2017 after a hit to the head of Mark Stone.

  • No lost time on the ice for Washington Capitals forward Richard Panik. The forward was back at practice Sunday with a full face shield after being cut in the lower lip by the stick of New Jersey Devils forward Miles Wood, according to NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti. In fact, Panik said that his lower lip was separated from his gums and required 20 stitches. Fortunately, his teeth are fine.
  • The New Jersey Devils have lost one forward and gained another. NHL.com’s Amanda Stein reports that forward Kyle Palmieri is out Sunday for their game against Tampa Bay. The forward suffered a lower-body injury during Saturday’s game against Washington. He did block a shot off his foot and was reportedly hurting on the bench, but didn’t leave the game. No indication on how serious the injury is, however. The 28-year-old has 16 goals this season. However, the team announced it is expecting to get center Jack Hughes back in the lineup. The 18-year-old has missed five games with an upper-body injury.
  • Toronto Maple Leafs head coach said that the team will be activating forward Andreas Johnsson off of injured reserve and he is expected to take warm-ups before today’s game against Florida and will be a game-time decision, according to TSN’s Mark Masters. The has been out since Dec. 4 with a leg injury and should be able to provide the Maple Leafs with some offensive depth as he has six goals and 16 points through 30 games. The Maple Leafs added that the team has placed defenseman Jake Muzzin on IR to make room for Johnsson. Muzzin has been out with a broken foot since Dec. 27.

Four More Players Voted In To All-Star Game

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The vote is in as four more players were added to the NHL All-Star Game as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Toronto Maple Leafs’ Mitch Marner, Washington Capitals’ T.J. Oshie, St. Louis Blues’ David Perron and Vancouver Canucks’ Quinn Hughes were voted in by fans as the Last Men In.

For Marner, it will be the forward’s first all-star appearance despite posting a 94-point performance in the 2018-19 season. However, Marner remains on a similar pace and has impressive numbers once again. He currently has 11 goals and 42 points in just 34 games this season, putting him at a 100-goal pace had he not missed several weeks with a high ankle sprain. He joins Auston Matthews and Frederik Andersen as a third member of the team on the Atlantic Division roster.

Oshie will also be attending the all-star game for the first time in his career. The 33-year-old has had a solid career, but gets voted in as he has 18 goals through the first 45 games of the season and looks to be heading for a 30-goal pace. He will join defenseman John Carlsson and goaltender Braden Holtby. Alex Ovechkin was also supposed to go, but has opted to skip it for a second straight year. Head coach Todd Reirden is also going as coach of the Metro Division.

Perron is another addition for Stanley Cup champions, who will be the hosts of the all-star game, and gives the team four players on the Central Division squad. The 31-year-old looks to be heading for one of the best seasons of his career as he already has 19 goals through 45 games, including four overtime goals so far this year. Perron will be joined by forwards Ryan O’Reilly, defenseman Alex Pietrangelo and goaltender Jordan Binnington.

Finally, a defenseman was added in the Pacific Division, a much needed position for that squad, which had just Mark Giordano on the roster until the fan vote. Hughes has been a revelation for Vancouver and while fellow rookie Cale Makar gets most of the headlines, Hughes has posted four goals and 30 points in 43 games and is averaging 21:22 of ATOI in his first full season. He will join forward Elias Petersson and goaltender Jacob Markstrom as the Canucks’ representatives.

Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Martin Marincin To One-Year Extension

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have locked up one of their depth defenders for another year. Martin Marincin has signed a one-year contract extension worth $700K. The defenseman was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

Marincin, 27, has become the annual injury replacement for the Maple Leafs, coming up from the AHL whenever needed. That has meant 13 games with the team this season thanks to a broken foot for Jake Muzzin, where he has averaged a little over 14 minutes a night.

There is little chance that Marincin becomes an impact—or even a full-time—player for the Maple Leafs, but when you have almost an entire defense corps set to hit free agency someone has to be retained to fill out the depth chart. Marincin joins Justin Holl as two that have been extended in-season, with big questions still surrounding the future of Muzzin and Tyson Barrie, both unrestricted in July.

When you spend so much money on your forward group you need minimum salaried players, meaning this likely isn’t the last low-cost deal the Maple Leafs will sign. At the very worst, Marincin will spend the season in the AHL where he has played well for the Toronto Marlies—notably under Sheldon Keefe, who is now in charge of the NHL club.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Toronto Maple Leafs

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We’re in the home stretch in our thankful series where PHR will continue its look at what teams are thankful for as the second half of the season gets underway.  We’ll examine what has gone well in the first half and what each team may be looking for at the trade deadline.  Next up is the Toronto Maple Leafs.

What are the Maple Leafs most thankful for?

Their high-end group of forwards.  They have more than $40MM tied up in their big four up front in Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander and after a sluggish start to the season, they are firing on all cylinders.  The four have combined for more than 47% of Toronto’s goals heading into action on Wednesday night (75 goals out of 159) and give them two very dangerous lines to work with.  Tying up that much money in a small group certainly has its risk but if they’re producing like this, they’re getting what they paid for.

Who are the Maple Leafs most thankful for?

It would be easy to pick one of Marner, Matthews, or Tavares but they’re most thankful for goaltender Frederik Andersen.  He has shown the ability to handle a large workload in terms of games played.  He faces an even bigger workload in terms of shots faced (and chances) as the team doesn’t have as strong of a back end as some contenders due to what they’ve committed to that forward group.  They’ve shown that they can overcome an injury to one of their big four up front but if Andersen goes down for any significant period of time, they’d be in trouble.  Toronto is also thankful that he’s on a below-market deal with a $5MM price tag but that won’t be the case for long as he’s up for a new deal after the 2020-21 season.

What would the Maple Leafs be even more thankful for?

For starters, going more than a few weeks without any injuries of significance.  At one point, they were looking like they were going to need to carry a roster that was close to the minimum size for salary cap reasons but that has yet to happen with so many regulars missing time in the first half of the season.

Beyond that, getting more from their back end will be crucial.  Cody Ceci hasn’t adapted too well to his new team while Travis Dermott hasn’t progressed relative to his role from a season ago.  Morgan Reilly and Tyson Barrie have both underwhelmed offensively.  Defense becomes even more important down the stretch and into the playoffs and a lot of their players have room for improvement; if they can do that, they’ll be in much better shape for their postseason push.

What should be on the Maple Leafs’ Holiday Wish List?

While the injuries have afforded them some short-term relief in the form of more LTIR room to work with, they’re still going to be somewhat limited in terms of cap space at the trade deadline.  As a result, it’s unlikely that Toronto will be able to add an impact player, even if they get the other team to retain salary.  Depth will be the name of the game for GM Kyle Dubas who would be wise to try to add a veteran to shore up their back end and give them some injury insurance.  Given their cap commitments in place already, it will likely need to be a rental acquisition.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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