Last summer, the Oilers wasted little time locking up center Connor McDavid to a max eight-year extension worth $100MM. Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews and Jets winger Patrik Laine are eligible to ink their second contracts as of July 1st but Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos suggests (video link) that Toronto, in particular, may not be as eager to get something done as soon as possible. He notes that wingers Mitch Marner (also eligible for an extension in July) and William Nylander (RFA) also need new deals and that signing Matthews may create a domino effect for those two. If they are indeed concerned about that, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a possible new deal for Matthews wait until later in the offseason.
Maple Leafs Rumors
NHLPA Approves Proposed Changes To Lottery Odds
In what has become an annual event, the NHL Players’ Association has yet again approved changes to the NHL Draft lottery odds. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the NHLPA today signed off on a new lottery set-up recently submitted by the league. It marks the third season in a row that the odds have been altered.
The percentage chance that a team is selected to pick first, second, or third, as expressed by the number of ping pong balls present in the lottery draw, is dependent on where they finish in the overall league standings. Unsurprisingly, the changes to the odds first agreed upon in the Collective Bargaining Agreement began with the Edmonton Oilers and the painful realization that they had won yet another lottery in 2015 and would move up in the draft order to select Connor McDavid as their fourth first overall pick in a six year span. In response, the league significantly boosted the odds in 2016 toward the teams finishing last winning the lottery – expecting that Edmonton would no longer be in that range – as LeBrun notes that the 30th-place team had 20% odds of picking first two years ago. After the worst team in the NHL, the Toronto Maple Leafs, retained the top pick that year and selected Auston Matthews, the league and NHLPA again agreed to lessen the odds and insert more chance (and excitement) into the lottery. LeBrun indicates that last year the league’s worst, the Colorado Avalanche, had an 18% chance of holding on to the top pick. However, in a wild turn of events, three teams outside the bottom four won the lottery and moved into the top three draft slots, the biggest shift being the Philadelphia Flyers, who narrowly missed the playoffs, picking second. So, to perhaps combat another clean sweep, the odds have again been increased for those toward the bottom
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the new odds of selecting first for the upcoming 2018 NHL Draft will be 18.5% for 31st, 13.5% for 30th, and 11.5% for 29th. With the addition of an extra non-playoff team, there is also a new distribution which in fact increases the odds for the last team to miss the playoffs, the 17th-place finisher, by a tenth of a percent to 1%. This is accomplished by lessening the odds for the middle-of-the pack lottery teams. It may not be a coincidence that the Oilers are part of that group. Nor may it be a coincidence that the current bottom three – the Buffalo Sabres, Vancouver Canucks, and Arizona Coyotes – are all teams that have been struggling for years and would certainly appreciate retaining their high picks. This yearly change in draft lottery odds seems to be very responsive to the results of each prior lottery, but that isn’t a bad thing. So long as both the league and NHLPA agree, it’s safe to assume that the changes have the best interests of competitive balance in mind.
Injury Notes: Laine, Matthews, Tarasenko
The Winnipeg Jets have avoided a crushing blow after Patrik Laine was forced from their game after blocking a shot. Laine isn’t expected to miss a lot of time with the injury, if any at all.
The young sniper is having an outstanding season, but fell one behind Alex Ovechkin last night for the league-lead in goals. Though winning the Maurice Richard trophy would obviously be a nice prize, he and the rest of the Jets have their sights set on an even bigger trophy. The Jets are fighting through injuries to several of their key players, but are still one of the favorites in the Western Conference as the playoffs approach.
- Auston Matthews, the only player selected ahead of Laine in the 2016 draft, is also nearing a return for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The young center proclaimed himself ready to go after a 10-game layoff due to a shoulder injury, but head coach Mike Babcock wouldn’t go that far. The final decision on Matthews and Nikita Zaitsev for Thursday’s game will come after the morning skate, but both seem poised to return to the lineup.
- Vladimir Tarasenko is expected miss his second straight game with an upper-body injury, during a crucial time for the St. Louis Blues. The team is entering must-win territory with their last ten games as they sit three points back of the final wildcard spot with two additional teams between them and a playoff spot. That’s a tough hill to climb with so few games remaining, and losing Tarasenko is especially damaging. The 26-year old has had a down year by his standards, but is still second on the club with 58 points.
Snapshots: Gustavsson, Stamkos, Global Series
The Ottawa Senators have been focused on adding young players to their organization lately, and one of the most important names is Filip Gustavsson. The 19-year old goaltender was the main piece coming back for Derick Brassard at the trade deadline, and today the team announced that they’ve finished the paperwork required to bring him to North America.
Gustavsson will join the Belleville Senators this week, and the team could give him an opportunity right away. The baby Senators have just 19 regulation or overtime wins this season, and are well out of a playoff spot with 11 games remaining. Though there isn’t much to look forward for fans of the franchise, Gustavsson’s arrival is a shining light.
- Steven Stamkos has been fined $5,000 (the maximum amount) for a “dangerous trip” of Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly last night. Though that amount may not seem like very much to a player earning $9.5MM this season, every incident of supplementary discipline is added to his record for future events. Stamkos was also fined earlier this year for unsportsmanlike conduct when he squirted water from the bench.
- The NHL announced today that tickets to the 2018 Global Series are already sold out. The games will include matches in Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and Germany, in an attempt to continue growing the game and the NHL brand around the world. With these events proving successful so far, the future of the Series seems safe.
Injuries To Matthews May Save Money On Toronto's Salary Cap
It’s quite rare that there could be an upside to a team losing their top player but in the case of the Maple Leafs and center Auston Matthews, that may actually be the case. James Mirtle of The Athletic (subscription required) examines the pending benefit to Toronto’s salary cap for next season that has come about due to Matthews’ injuries. Due to the number of games he has missed, it is becoming increasingly unlikely that he will reach his $2MM Schedule B bonus and with the Leafs fully using long-term injury reserve, that’s essentially $2MM that they were expecting to have on their salary cap next season that shouldn’t be there now. That type of extra flexibility should come in handy this offseason.
Snapshots: Three Stars, Hanifin, Trouba
The NHL released their three stars for last week, and leading the way was Alex Pietrangelo of the St. Louis Blues. After starting the season in the conversation for the Norris trophy, Pietrangelo’s point production dropped off a bit in the middle of the season and the Blues’ record suffered because of it (and other things). Now, with the team surging into the playoff picture once again, Pietrangelo has been front and center with 11 points in his last five games. Back in the top ten in points from defensemen, the Blues captain is now just two away from setting a new career high.
Rounding out the stars are Nathan MacKinnon and Curtis McElhinney, two players at opposite ends of their careers. MacKinnon is just hitting his stride and becoming the superstar everyone expected him to be, while McElhinney is showing there is still some fight left in a 34-year old goaltender. The Maple Leafs netminder was forced into the starting role when Frederik Andersen went down, and now leads the NHL in save percentage at .935.
- The Carolina Hurricanes have announced that Noah Hanifin suffered a concussion and is out indefinitely, likely meaning his season is finished. Hanifin had another solid season in Carolina, posting 29 points in 71 games, but still wasn’t given the responsibility of a top pairing defenseman. The fifth-overall pick is a very interesting case to watch this summer, as he’s a restricted free agent and will be one of the first and most important negotiations of whoever takes the Hurricanes’ GM job. There has been talk over the last few years that perhaps Hanifin would be dangled as bait for a star forward, but the Hurricanes need to be careful they don’t trade away a budding #1 defenseman as he’s still just 21 years old.
- Speaking of good young defensemen, the Winnipeg Jets will know more about Jacob Trouba’s condition over the next few days after he took a crushing hit from Jamie Benn on the weekend. Trouba left the game in the third period and saw specialists today while under the concussion protocol. Luckily, if you can call it that, the Jets may get Dmitry Kulikov back sooner than expected, as the defenseman has elected not to have back surgery just yet. Kulikov was originally ruled out eight weeks, but could be back in three or four according to the team. With the Jets looking like Stanley Cup contenders for the first time, they can use all the help they can get.
Minor Transactions: 03/19/18
Another week has passed in the NHL and we’re down to the final ten games for most of the teams around the league. With just a few weeks left teams like St. Louis and Los Angeles are still fighting for their playoff lives while others like Detroit and Vancouver are doing their best to secure a top draft pick. We’ll likely see several young players make their debuts this week, while other teams will welcome back some injured veterans just in time for the playoffs. As always, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here.
- Filip Chlapik is back up in Ottawa, as the Senators have recalled 20-year old forward and assigned Jim O’Brien back to the minor leagues. Chlapik is still looking for his first NHL goal after 10 games with the big club this season, but does have 30 points in 50 games during his rookie season in the AHL. The second-round pick will be in competition for a full-time job on the team at camp next season, and can give himself a leg up by playing well down the stretch.
- The Buffalo Sabres have completed a paper transaction for Justin Bailey, who was only sent down to the minor leagues yesterday. Bailey is back up with the club after being recalled today, and should stay in the lineup for the time being. Bailey, 22, has four points in 10 games for the Sabres this season.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have sent Garret Sparks back to the AHL, likely indicating that Frederik Andersen will return for Tuesday’s game against the Lightning. Andersen is on track to return after a short injury period, along with star forward Auston Matthews. The Maple Leafs will welcome back their best two players while on a four-game winning streak, but still sit five points behind the Boston Bruins for second place in the Atlantic Division.
- Similarly, Charlie Lindgren has been sent back to the AHL now that Carey Price is set to return for the Montreal Canadiens. Though Price won’t start right away, his return to health means Lindgren had to go back as he was on an emergency recall.
- After the latest injury to Dallas Stars goaltender Ben Bishop, the team has recalled Mike McKenna once again. Dallas is struggling to stay in the playoff picture in the Western Conference, and will now have to rely on Kari Lehtonen once again to get them into the postseason.
- Tristan Jarry has been sent back to the AHL, meaning Matt Murray will be ready to go for the Pittsburgh Penguins in short order. Murray hasn’t played in nearly a month, but could give the team a huge boost heading into the postseason. For now, Casey DeSmith will remain as the other goaltender in Pittsburgh, though Jarry could be recalled at any time.
- Dillon Simpson has been recalled under emergency conditions for the Edmonton Oilers, which could result in the 25-year old’s first NHL games of the season. Simpson has played the entire year at the AHL level, recording 17 points in 56 games. A fourth-round pick, Simpson hasn’t ever been able to crack the Oilers lineup full-time.
- Tim Heed is up once again for the San Jose Sharks, who have also activated Joel Ward from injured reserve today. Ward hasn’t played since February 8th, and could be a big boost to the bottom-six for a San Jose team looking ready to compete for the Stanley Cup once again. The Sharks sit second in the Central Division after their latest four-game win streak, and could be one of the toughest outs in the Western Conference once the playoffs begin.
- The Calgary Flames have recalled Rasmus Andersson, but find themselves in an opposite situation from the Sharks. Calgary has gone 3-6-1 in their last ten games and find themselves out of the playoff picture. Though they’re not out of it entirely, they need a spark to turn things around immediately.
Maple Leafs Sign Mason Marchment To Entry-Level Deal
The Toronto Maple Leafs announced they have signed winger Mason Marchment to a two-year entry-level contract Saturday. The son of former NHL star Bryan Marchment, Mason Marchment has been playing in the Maple Leafs system without an NHL deal, but has finally earned one after a quality 37 games with the Toronto Marlies this season in which he nine goals and 21 points.
Already 22, Marchment was considered a late bloomer as he didn’t make the jump to the OHL until he turned 19 years old. As a result, he has worked his way through Toronto system as he signed an AHL contract with the Marlies in 2016 after he finished up his final junior season with the OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads that season. He played three games that year and came back last season to play in nine games, but was sent down to the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears after struggling. However, he put together a solid season in Orlando, where he scored 14 goals and 20 points in 35 games. This season he’s shown continued success back at the AHL level.
Even without an NHL contract, Marchment did receive a invitation to the Maple Leafs training camp last year and even survived the first round of cuts with Toronto. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound winger is considered to be a solid skater with good size, who is adept at doing the dirty work. He is projected to be a bottom-six forward in the NHL.
Leo Komarov Underwent MRI On Friday
- Maple Leafs winger Leo Komarov underwent an MRI today to see if there was any damage in the knee/thigh area following a collision in last night’s game against Buffalo, TSN’s Darren Dreger notes (Twitter link). If he is set to miss tomorrow’s tilt against Montreal, it would open up a spot for rookie winger Andreas Johnsson or center Dominic Moore to draw back into the lineup.
Minor Transactions: 03/15/18
Yes, March Madness is about to open and unless your favorite NHL team is in the thick of a playoff race you might be tempted to turn on some basketball—the staff at Hoops Rumors certainly wouldn’t hold it against you—but there is still a lot going on around the hockey world. We’ll keep an eye on all the minor moves around the league, and update them right here. Check back between halves to make sure you don’t fall behind.
- After Frederik Andersen left last night’s game for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the team has recalled Garret Sparks under emergency conditions. Andersen is out with an upper-body injury and won’t play tonight against the Buffalo Sabres, but there is no indication on how long he’ll be out. Sparks has been arguably the best goaltender in the AHL all season, and will get a chance to at least back up in tonight’s game.
- The Boston Bruins have used two emergency recalls, bringing Anton Blidh and Paul Postma up from the minor leagues. The Bruins are dealing with injuries to Jake Debrusk, Zdeno Chara and Torey Krug, who all left the last game against the Carolina Hurricanes and did not return. It’s not clear which ones will be out for the team, but any of them would be tough blows for a team chasing the Tampa Bay Lightning for first place in the Eastern Conference (and perhaps the league).