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J.D. Greenway Commits To The University Of Maine

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The University of Maine received great news today in the form of a commitment from a top prospect. J.D. Greenway, brother to Minnesota Wild forward Jordan Greenway and a 2016 third-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs, is set to join the Black Bears. Greenway’s current team, the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints, announced that the big defenseman has decided to return to school next season.

Greenway’s development has come with its fair share of twists and turns thus far. The 20-year-old grew into his 6’4″ frame early on and gained the reputation of a being a hulking defender with composure and checking ability beyond his years, along with an offensive touch. In two seasons with the U.S. National Development Program, Greenway was a constant presence both on the ice and the score sheet. He joined the University of Wisconsin Badgers in 2016-17 with high expectations, but had a difficult time transitioning his game to the college level. While he received the benefit of the doubt as a highly-recruited freshman, he didn’t enjoy that same benefit in year two when his problems persisted and he lost ice time and trust of the coaching staff. Greenway made the decision to leave school and re-evaluate his plans this season, which has proved wise so far. In 17 games with Dubuque, Greenway leads all defensemen in points, power play production, and shots, looking comfortable as an offensive asset again.

As a result, Greenway’s stock was back on the rise among college programs and UMaine is the lucky winner. This is a major addition for the Black Bears, who get Greenway for two seasons beginning next year. The team currently rosters only three other NHL draft picks – starting goaltender Jeremy Swayman (BOS, 4th rd. ’17) and forwards Chase Pearson (DET, 5th rd. ’15) and Patrick Shea (FLA, 7th rd. ’15) – and have not appeared in the NCAA Tournament since 2012. With all three of these players and last year’s top scorer, Mitchell Fossier, expected to return next season, as well as the additions of Greenway and the likes of Brad Morrissey and Brady Gaudette, Maine could take a big step forward in 2019-20.

The Maple Leafs will be also happy to see Greenway back in the college ranks improving his game, as the young defenseman brings a Dustin Byfuglien-type style that the team would love to one day see flourish on their blue line. Oftentimes issues with a college program are too quickly labeled as a shortcoming of the player, but in the case of Greenway, he is certainly still considered a solid NHL prospect who should outperform his Wisconsin production once he arrives in Orono next year.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Matthews, Dube

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The NHL has released their Three Stars of the week, and Cam Atkinson will take home the top spot this time around. The diminutive Columbus Blue Jackets forward scored five goals and eight points in three games and is now producing at more than a point-per-game pace for the season. The 29-year old Atkinson is trying to put his injury plagued 2017-18 season behind him and get back to the 35-goal scorer he showed capable of being the year prior.

Corey Crawford and Joe Pavelski arrive at second and third respectively, and it’s the former whose performance is so impressive given his long way back from injury over the last year. Crawford now sits with a .922 save percentage on the season and is one of the sole reasons the Blackhawks are still within striking distance of a playoff spot in the Central Division. A team that has already fired their legendary coach and replaced him with the youngest bench boss in the league, Chicago will need Crawford to continue his strong play if they’re to have any chance at a postseason berth this year.

  • Auston Matthews was back on the ice with the Toronto Maple Leafs this morning, and he wasn’t wearing the red no-contact jersey. While the Maple Leafs have made no indication that Matthews will be back ahead of schedule, his presence with the team can only give them another morale boost as they try to reclaim the top spot in the Atlantic Division. Even without their young superstar—and his usual linemate William Nylander, who is still without a contract—the Maple Leafs sit at 14-6-0 on the year and have the second best goal differential in the entire NHL.
  • The Calgary Flames have inserted rookie Dillon Dube into the lineup 15 times this season, but have given him more than 13 minutes of ice time in only three of those contests. Still with just two points on the season, Dube is looking for his first NHL goal and a way to establish himself as a bigger presence at both ends of the ice. That opportunity is tough to carve out when the team has such solid depth up front, something that head coach Bill Peters is aware of. Speaking to reporters including Kristen Anderson of Postmedia, Peters explained that the team will soon have to decide whether keeping Dube in the NHL only to play a few minutes a game is really the best for his development. Instead, the team could send him back to the AHL where he has still yet to play a full season.

Pacific Notes: Quick, Raanta, Chychrun, Oilers, Miller

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The Los Angeles Kings could use some good news with their goaltending issues and they got some Sunday as NHL.com’s Kevin Weekes reports that Jonathan Quick skated today in full gear, which is the next step in his recovery after undergoing surgery on Oct. 31 to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee.

Weekes reports that Quick just worked on his crease work, but did not go down and did not take any pucks. Regardless, that has to be good news for L.A. who are without both Quick and his backup, Jack Campbell, who went down with the exact same injury. Instead, the team is going with the AHL tandem of Peter Budaj and Calvin Petersen. However, the team would much prefer to see Quick return to the lineup as new head coach Willie Desjardins continues to try to turn around the Kings after a poor start.

Fox Sports’ Jon Rosen adds that Quick could take on a heavier load in practice on either Wednesday or Friday.

  • Cat Silverman of The Athletic reports that the Arizona Coyotes had two injured players return to practice Sunday as goaltender Antti Raanta and defenseman Jakob Chychrun both practiced. Raanta’s practice was a short one, but he did participate in full drills while he was there. He was placed on injured reserve on Nov. 7 with an undisclosed injury. Chychrun recently returned to the team after recovering from offseason surgery and then immediately was placed on injured reserve after one game with an upper-body injury. He was a full participant in practice today and with full contact. Both are considered likely to play Wednesday against Vegas.
  • Edmonton Journal’s Jim Matheson writes that it’s unlikely the Edmonton Oilers will get involved in the William Nylander sweepstakes with the Toronto Maple Leafs as the team would likely have to send back defenseman Adam Larsson, which the Oilers would not be willing to do. Instead Matheson believes the Oilers’ best course of action would be to wait for the trade deadline and make a play for the New York Rangers Mats Zuccarello, who will be a unrestricted free agent next year, but could be a good fit in Edmonton.
  • The return of Nate Schmidt to the Vegas Golden Knights Sunday is good news for defenseman Colin Miller, who has been forced to take over Schmidt’s role as a No. 1 defenseman, always in charge of facing opposing team’s top line. That has been a challenge for Miller, who is better off as a second-pair defenseman, according to SinBin’s Steve Carp. That role has altered the way Miller thinks as he has had to focus on defense first and put offense on the back burner. Miller, who had 10 goals and 41 points last season, currently has no goals and six assists in 20 games. However, with Schmidt taking his previous role starting tonight and expected to be paired with Shea Theodore, Miller can return to his old role, which could result in an offensive boost for Vegas.

Atlantic Notes: Matthews, Gardiner, Bergeron, Zadina

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The Toronto Maple Leafs got some good news as star center Auston Matthews practiced with the team Sunday in a red non-contact jersey, suggesting that his return could come sooner than later, according to TSN’s Kristen Shilton. He has been out for three weeks and has already missed nine games after separating his shoulder during Toronto’s Oct. 27 game against Winnipeg.

“It feels a lot better,” Matthews said (via Shilton). “I think its progressed quite well. It’s still not all there, but hopefully it continues to progress and I get back out there as soon as possible.”

Matthews was seen taking part in a full practice, which included practicing his shot on both goaltenders, including Frederik Andersen and Garret Sparks. However, Matthews said that his shot still needs work.

“Not all there,” Matthews said. “Little mechanics of it, the strength in your arm is still coming back, not fully there. Accuracy is a little off, but I think all that stuff will come back soon.”

Toronto head coach Mike Babcock said there is no timetable yet for his return and can’t even really think about it until Matthews can be a full contributor in practice. Saturday will be four weeks, which was the minimum amount of time listed as a potential return, however, Matthews didn’t sound optimistic he’ll be ready to go at exactly the four-week point of the injury.

“I don’t know, honestly,” Matthews said. “Kind of just taking it day by day. Depends how I’m progressing.”

  • Sticking with the Leafs, The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel (subscription required) wonders what might happen with Toronto defenseman Jake Gardiner who will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. While the Maple Leafs have bigger worries amongst their own free agents, Gardiner has compiled quite a resume with the Maple Leafs over the years and is currently the 10th-highest scoring defenseman in Maple Leafs’ history. However, with the sudden improved play of Travis Dermott, the scribe wonders if Dermott could be a cheaper option for Toronto which could allow the team to avoid giving the 28-year-old a big payday which they likely can’t afford anyway. While inexperienced, he’s done an admirable job in his role that doesn’t include any power play time and he might be able to replace Gardiner completely within a year.
  • The sudden loss of Patrice Bergeron has had a greater affect on the team than many have thought, writes The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa (subscription required).  The 33-year-old, who is considered day-to-day after taking a hard check from Dallas’ Radek Faksa, is the focal point to the Bruins offense and was missed Saturday, despite squeaking out a 2-1 victory. The scribe writes that Boston immediately broke up the first line without Bergeron in the lineup as Patrnak was teamed with David Krejci, while Marchand moved to the second line to work with Jake Debrusk. Regardless, the entire lineup was shaken without Bergeron, who may be the most valuable piece to their team.
  • Max Bultman of The Athletic (subscription required) looks at the progress made by prospect Filip Zadina who is playing with the Grand Rapids Griffins in the AHL who is starting to heat up. Zadina, the sixth-overall pick in this year’s draft, has been displaying confidence recently in Grand Rapids and the fact that he’s posted six goals in his past five games may have something to do with it. With the Red Wings playing well, Zadina will likely stay in Grand Rapids, but according to Griffins head coach Ben Simon, he has quite a bit to work on still. “That’s great to look at a box score and see, but if you’re a scout in the building or you’re a coach watching the game, there’s still a heck of a lot more room for improvement to get to the NHL for him,” Simon said. “Now, that being said, he has gotten a lot more confident, a lot more settled in with what this league’s all about. I think it took him a little bit of time to figure that out.

Toronto Willing To Let William Nylander Sit Out Season

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If the Toronto Maple Leafs can’t find a deal that they like, the team is willing to allow restricted free agent holdout William Nylander to sit out the entire season, according to Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston on Hockey Night in Canada.

“If there isn’t a trade that presents itself — and we spoke last week about the fact that they are gauging the market on William Nylander, and William Nylander’s demands don’t come to the range that they’re comfortable paying — they’re comfortable letting this player sit and I think that’s significant with the fact that it’s 13-plus days remaining and tensions only to get a little higher as we get closer to Dec. 1,” Johnston said.

For a team with the potential to win now while they have many players on entry-level deals, that may not be the best course of action. Nylander is a major free agent and the team could use Nylander or the potential returns from a trade, whose situation must be decided on by Dec. 1. With the emergence of Kasperi Kapanen, who also will be a restricted free agent next season, the team may not need Nylander’s offense, but with a struggling defense, the team could use a trade to bring in much needed defensive help for a team attempting to challenge for a Stanley Cup now.

The last player to sit out an entire season due to a contract dispute was Michael Peca when he sat out the 2001-02 season while at a contract impasse with the Buffalo Sabres.

Of course, Toronto may be sending that message out to teams with the hope of increasing offers from other teams who hope to get Nylander at a reduced price as that Dec. 1 deadline nears. If teams believe that Toronto will let him sit, teams may be willing to hand over more assets to get a deal done before the deadline.

New York Rangers Have Interest In William Nylander

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With now less than two weeks remaining before the December 1st deadline for signing restricted free agents, the pressure is on in Toronto to come to a conclusion with William Nylander. While there seems to be a growing feeling that the team will not cave even if it means having him sit out the entire season–Nylander must sign by December 1st or be deemed ineligible to play at all this year—other front offices are surely circling like vultures waiting for an opportunity to acquire the young forward.

The Carolina Hurricanes have long been considered a team that will show immediate interest if Nylander is truly put out for sale, but others including the Vegas Golden Knights, Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers have been linked, however tenuously, throughout the process. The latter’s interest is confirmed by Larry Brooks of the New York Post, who writes that while they should not be considered front-runners they also shouldn’t be ruled out just yet.

In fact, Brooks argues that the potential ask of young defenseman Brady Skjei in return should not deter the Rangers from pursuing Nylander at all. Though he discusses how Skjei doesn’t match exactly what the Maple Leafs are rumored to be looking for, he also points out that the Rangers shouldn’t back away from the table if his name is brought up. The 24-year old defenseman was recently scratched by the team after struggling this season, and hasn’t been able to quite replicate his outstanding 2016-17 rookie season so far.

If any team in the league is serious about prying Nylander away from the Maple Leafs, it will likely take an elite talent that can step into the Toronto lineup immediately. While defense—especially right-handed defense—remains the most obvious need, it’s not clear exactly what GM Kyle Dubas and the rest of the front office has in mind if they do make a deal. Reports have surfaced that they’ve asked teams to indicate who they wouldn’t trade, but very little has come out about the players who have been offered, if it has come to that at all.

It’s now November 18th, and the Maple Leafs are among the league leaders in several categories while finding themselves near the top of the Atlantic Division. Things have gone smoothly so far for them, but it’s getting down to crunch time on one of the biggest decisions of the year. You can bet the Rangers aren’t the only team hoping they make the call to sell.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Atlantic Notes: Bergeron, Helm, Marner, Price

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The Boston Bruins already have plenty of injury concerns this season, especially on the defensive end. However, it may have gotten worse as the Bruins announced in an injury breakdown, that they have sent Patrice Bergeron back to Boston to be re-evaluated for his upper-body injury by team doctors with two games left on their road trip. That means that Bergeron is out for Saturday’s game against Arizona, although considering their next game won’t be until Wednesday, he could return to the team before then.

The team also reported that defenseman John Moore, already listed as day-to-day, has also left with Bergeron for Boston to get his lower-body injury looked at by doctors. The release also notes that Zdeno Chara, who was listed as out for four to six weeks, will not be re-evaluated for another four weeks.

While many were already aware of the defensive injuries, however the loss of Bergeron would be another devastating blow. The 33-year-old was driven into the boards on Friday on a hit from Dallas’ Radek Faksa. Bergeron has nine goals and 26 points in 19 games this season and anchors one of the top lines in the NHL.

  • The Detroit Red Wings may be without a forward as well as Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James reports that Darren Helm, who left the first period of today’s game against New Jersey after taking a hard hit from Travis Zajac, could be out for a while. Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill said that he had no timetable for his injury, but the 31-year-old winger was holding his right wrist after it had taken the brunt of his fall to the ice.
  • Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun writes that with the way that Toronto Maple Leafs’ Mitch Marner has been playing lately, he is likely to fetch a huge price when he hits restricted free agency at the end of the year. The 21-year-old Marner, who has 26 points in the first 20 games is currently on a trajectory to hit 106 points this season and become the franchise’s first 100-point winger. That could cost the team that has carefully weighed each players’ salary carefully before signing John Tavares this summer. With holdout William Nylander asking for big numbers on his next contract, Marner could complicate things for Toronto as well as he might be the best young winger outside of Colorado’s Mikko Rantanen and Boston’s David Pastrnak.
  • Montreal Canadiens Carey Price’s numbers may not be particularly impressive as he owns a 2.99 GAA and a .899 save percentage. However, after an impressive performance against the Calgary Flames on Thursday, The Athletic’s Paul Campbell (subscription required) analyzes the 31-year-old’s play and notes that Price is starting to adapt to a combination of his aging skills and the improved shootings skills of younger forwards. The scribe breaks down his play Thursday, writing that if Price can continue to play like that, then the Canadiens have a chance to fare well this season.

 

Minor Transactions: 11/17/18

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As usual, Saturday is a busy day on the schedule with 22 teams in action so there will likely be considerable roster movement throughout the day.  We’ll keep tabs on those moves here.

  • The Devils announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled defenseman Eric Gryba from AHL Binghamton. To make room for him on the roster, they placed blueliner Sami Vatanen on injured reserve retroactive to Thursday.  Gryba has been up and down so far this season; he made the team out of training camp but was waived in mid-October and this will be his second stint with New Jersey since clearing.
  • With their goaltending depth quickly getting depleted with their top three options injured or sick, the Kings have inked veteran Michael Leighton to a minor league PTO per a team release from their AHL affiliate in Ontario. The 37-year-old has yet to play this season and spent time in three different organizations in 2017-18.  CapFriendly adds via Twitter that Cole Kehler, who was brought up on an emergency recall on Friday, has been sent back to Ontario.
  • The Coyotes announced that they’ve recalled center Mario Kempe from AHL Tucson. The 30-year-old has been quite productive in the minors with nine points in eight games while he has also seen action in four games with Arizona this season where he has been held off the scoresheet.  To make room for him on the roster, Jason Demers was transferred to injured reserve.
  • The Sharks have recalled center Dylan Gambrell from the minors and assigned center Rourke Chartier to San Jose of the AHL, per the AHL’s Transactions Page.  Chartier has just a single goal in 13 games with the Sharks this season so he’ll go down with the hopes that some more ice time at the lower level will help him rediscover his scoring touch.  Meanwhile, Gambrell has been productive in his limited time with the Barracuda, recording six points in seven games.  He also has one game with the big club where he failed to record a point.
  • Dallas announced that they have brought up defenseman Ben Gleason and center Roope Hintz from Texas of the AHL.  Hintz leads their affiliate in points per game (1.22) and has seen action in five games with the big club this season although he has been held without a point.  Meanwhile, Gleason made his NHL debut last weekend but was returned to Texas on Tuesday.  He has fared quite well at the minor league level in his rookie campaign, collecting eight points in 13 games.
  • With their road trip now complete, the Maple Leafs have returned winger Trevor Moore to the AHL’s Marlies.  Moore has been up twice with the NHL team so far this season but has yet to play in a game.  He has been quite productive in the minors though, collecting a dozen points (including nine goals) in as many games to start his season.
  • The Penguins announced that they’ve re-assigned winger Garrett Wilson back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL.  The move was made to free up a roster spot for center Derick Brassard as he was activated off injured reserve.  Wilson played in four games with Pittsburgh, his first NHL action since the 2015-16 season with Florida.

More Teams Contacting Toronto About William Nylander

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Though it had already been reported by many sources, Carolina Hurricanes AGM Don Waddell admitted today on TSN Radio that his club has been in touch with the Toronto Maple Leafs about a potential William Nylander trade. They’re not the only ones though, as Pierre LeBrun reports that up to a third of the league has already contacted Toronto with at least passing interest in the restricted free agent forward. That’s not surprising, given that there is now just over two weeks remaining before the December 1st deadline that would make Nylander ineligible to play this season.

Waddell did admit that there is interest in the player, but hasn’t talked to Nylander’s agent Lewis Gross about a contract. He doesn’t think that’s necessary until the Hurricanes and Maple Leafs were actually going down the trade route, something that still hasn’t happened despite the growing concern that Nylander and Toronto GM Kyle Dubas won’t be able to get something done.

Still, there has been little information leaked from the negotiations between the Maple Leafs and Nylander themselves, other than communication is ongoing between the two parties. Much more of the speculation surrounding the situation is coming from other teams who are watching carefully to see what happens over the next few weeks. Waddell in fact referenced some of the Hurricanes own players who will be directly affected by the contract Nylander signs, likely meaning Sebastian Aho who is a restricted free agent next summer. Aho looks like he’ll be going into his own contract negotiation with even better numbers than his Maple Leafs counterpart, and though the two sides both seem interested in a long-term deal, will likely be watching carefully to see what the Toronto forward can negotiate before submitting terms of their own.

In Toronto, management seems to be standing their ground and not giving into a player who they obviously want back in the lineup as soon as possible. With Auston Matthews out with a shoulder injury, John Tavares and Mitch Marner have had to carry the load offensively over the last few games. Those two certainly have the skill to do it, but head coach Mike Babcock put it plainly when asked about how his team is affected by the absence of Matthews and Nylander.

Obviously, we want Willy on the team. We want Matty to be playing every night and Willy to be playing every night. When you go around the league and you play against good teams, it really shows when you’re not quite as deep as you could be.

The Maple Leafs are currently sitting in second place in the Atlantic Division, but have a real chance to separate from the pack as the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins deal with injuries to key players. Toronto has been winning even without two of their top forwards, and will be even more dangerous when (and if) they return to the lineup. The Nylander situation is hanging over the team’s head right now, but it won’t be long until there is a resolution of some kind.

Paul Cotter Leaves Western Michigan, Signs In OHL

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The rich have gotten richer today, as the London Knights have added another talented young NHL prospect to their roster. After recently receiving Evan Bouchard and Alex Formenton back from the NHL, the Knights have signed Paul Cotter after he recently left Western Michigan University. Cotter, a fourth round pick of the Vegas Golden Knights, will join a powerhouse OHL organization that looks poised to compete for the Memorial Cup again this season.

Still 18 years old for a few more days, Cotter was the 115th overall pick in June’s NHL Entry Draft. A star in US junior hockey for the Brookings Blizzard (NAHL) and Lincoln Stars (USHL) including a Rookie of the Year award in 2017, he played just eight games for Western Michigan this season and recorded a single point. He has now given up his college eligibility by signing in the CHL, which is considered a professional league due to the fact that some of the players already have NHL contracts. Mark Hunter, who reclaimed his position as General Manager of the Knights earlier this year, had this to say about Cotter’s decision:

We are very proud to have signed Paul and we eagerly welcome him to London. Paul is an NHL level talent who will be a strong addition to our lineup for the remainder of the season.  We look forward to his arrival in London and the excitement he will bring to Budweiser Gardens.

It’s hard to argue with any prospect’s decision to join the Knights, who have continually churned out NHL stars and have some of the strongest development coaches in junior hockey. The program has recently convinced 2018 first round pick Adam Boqvist to come over to North America, along with potential 2019 first round pick Matvei Guskov. Cotter will be joining an incredibly talented group, and should be given an opportunity to grow and develop his offensive upside before jumping to the professional ranks.

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