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2017 Year In Review: May

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2017 has been quite a busy year in the hockey world. There have been several big trades, the first expansion team in over 15 years, and much more. Over the coming days, PHR will take a look back at the top stories from around the game on a month-by-month basis. Next up is a look at May.

Playoff Injuries Abound: As teams continued their chase of the Stanley Cup, their bodies began to break down. As each subsequent round was completed, and teams were eliminated from the playoffs, reports of surgery and rehab surfaced daily. Players like Patrice Bergeron, Tuukka Rask, Jason Zucker, Andrej Sekera and Ryan Johansen all went under the knife in May, with the Anaheim Ducks perhaps announcing the worst of the bunch. Hampus Lindholm and Sami Vatanen would both require shoulder surgery, not only putting the start of their 2017-18 seasons in jeopardy but complicating the expansion process for the Ducks. A seemingly inevitable Vatanen trade was put on hold until just recently, when he was sent to the New Jersey Devils for Adam Henrique.

Toronto Bolsters Blueline: The Toronto Maple Leafs had some depth issues on their blueline in 2016-17, when Morgan Rielly was forced to log big minutes despite suffering from a high-ankle sprain for much of the season. They decided to add to that depth when they signed both Calle Rosen and Andreas Borgman out of the SHL, and locked up a key newcomer long-term. Nikita Zaitsev officially signed his seven-year, $31.5MM extension on May 2nd, ensuring he’d be part of the core for some time.

Ben BishopBig Ben In Big D: The Dallas Stars, coming off an extremely disappointing season, decided that something had to be done about their goaltending duo of Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi. The Stars went out and traded for Ben Bishop, almost immediately signing him to a six-year, $29.5MM contract. Because Bishop was set to become an unrestricted free agent and was coming off one of his worst seasons in the NHL, he cost the Stars just a fourth-round pick. An improvement in Bishop’s play was one of the keys we identified recently for a potential Stars turnaround, after which he immediately posted a 24-save shutout against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Buffalo Gets Botterill: After canning their coach and GM the previous month, the Buffalo Sabres announced that Jason Botterill, formerly an assistant GM with the Pittsburgh Penguins, would be the new man to captain their ship. Botterill had some interim GM experience with Pittsburgh, but had never truly been the head man before and had a tough task ahead of him in Buffalo. The Sabres are once again one of the worst teams in the NHL, but have their star locked up long-term and several blue chip prospects on their way.

Vadim, Las Vegas: On May 4th, 2017 the Vadim Shipachyov era in Vegas officially began when the team announced a two-year, $9MM contract for the Russian star. Shipachyov was just the second player to sign with the Golden Knights, and was immediately penciled into their first line. Unfortunately, the rest of 2017 would not go as smoothly. Shipachyov was first left off the NHL roster to begin the season, and would eventually terminate his contract with Vegas in order to return to the KHL. He scored one goal during his brief NHL career, and has spoken quite candidly about the disappointing situation.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Toronto Maple Leafs Loan Kasperi Kapanen To AHL

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The Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t wasted any time after Christmas to make a tweak to their roster, sending forward Kasperi Kapanen down to the AHL today. It’s unclear exactly how the Maple Leafs are allowed to make this transaction, as the holiday roster freeze is still in effect. The move must have either actually happened on the 23rd and only been announced now, or is set to take effect on the 28th when the freeze is lifted. According to CapFriendly, the only other way for a move to be made is if the Maple Leafs are activating one of their long-term injured reserve players, which is extremely unlikely since they’re not expected to play again.

Kapanen, 21, continues to be an enigma for Toronto fans, as he’s shown flashes of brilliance during short recalls but hasn’t been able to stick in the lineup on a full-time basis. It seemed as though he’d earned an NHL spot in the playoffs last season, but started the year in the minor leagues once again due to the team’s roster restrictions—Kapanen is waiver-exempt, something several other fringe roster players are not.

Still, he continues to play nearly a point-per-game pace in the minor leagues and wait for his opportunity in Toronto. A big part of the Phil Kessel trade from a few years ago, there is still likely a future in Toronto for the son of former NHLer Sami Kapanen.

Veteran Free Agent Contracts Not Working Out Well In 2017-18

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There is no doubt that the game of hockey is getting faster and, as a result, younger. Yet, in 2016-17 that didn’t stop 44-year-old ageless wonder Jaromir Jagr from outscoring his age, 40-year-old Matt Cullen and 37-year-old Chris Kunitz from contributing to a second straight Pittsburgh Penguins Stanley Cup title, 39-year-old Zdeno Chara from skating in more than 23 minutes per game, or 36-year-old Henrik Zetterberg and 37-year-old Joe Thornton from finishing among the league’s best in assists. Several teams who witnessed the impact that older players had on their teams last year went out and signed older free agents this summer in hopes of a repeat performance. It hasn’t happened for most of those teams. The majority of players age 36 and older who signed with new teams this off-season have struggled to meet expectations.

Jagr, of course, is the poster boy of the anti-youth movement. The 28-year NHL veteran has somehow remained consistent throughout his career even into his mid-40’s, but despite a 46-point campaign last year, got little attention this summer and it looked like his illustrious career was over. However, the Calgary Flames swooped in at the last minute, signing Jagr to a one-year deal in early October. At $2MM for the year, it was a low-risk, high-upside singing. Yet, through 36 games, that upside has not shown up. Jagr has only been healthy for 19 games, in which he has only one goal and six assists. Even if Jagr was magically healthy for each of the Flames remaining games this season, he would be on pace for a career-worst 24 points. It seems that Jagr’s days are finally done.

He’s not alone though. The Penguins aging role players also decided to leave Pittsburgh this off-season, with Cullen heading home to Minnesota to join the Wild and Kunitz chasing a fourth Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Both players have been nothing short of a disappointment so far. Cullen, who was a major contributor to the Pens’ success last year as a dependable checking center and 30-point scorer. So far with the Wild, Cullen has been a non-factor offensively (7 points) and defensively (team worst -11) through 35 games and was even a healthy scratch earlier this month. Despite the incredible talent around him, Kunitz has just 10 points this season, a pace which is a far cry from his recent back-to-back 40-point seasons.

Who else is on the list? Defenseman Mark Streit was a complete disaster in Montreal, released by the Canadiens after just two games. Journeyman goalie Michael Leighton hasn’t done much better, already on his third team in 2017-18 and without an NHL appearance thus far. Despite the time-tested theory that Radim Vrbata always performs his best in Arizona, the aging scorer bolted the Coyotes for the Florida Panthers, who so far have only received 12 points and 29 games from the signing.

The jury is still out on a few veterans. Francois Beauchemin returned home to Anaheim this summer and many expected him to improve his game back on a familiar roster. While Beauchemin’s 7 points through 30 games pale in comparison to the better seasons of his career, it’s similar to the production he showed last year with the Colorado Avalanche. With the Ducks struggling as a team, it seems fair that Beauchemin’s play has also been a bit lacking. That hasn’t been the case for Ryan Miller, another aging addition in Anaheim. His .928 save percentage and 2.23 GAA has been very good. However, Miller has only gotten the win in four of his ten appearances and missed much of the early season due to injury. Miller has performed better than the rest of his team, but had he been healthy it may have reversed the Ducks’ fortunes early on. Matt Hendricks has already matched his point total with the Edmonton Oilers last season now with the Winnipeg Jets last season. He’s playing a valued energy role and the Jets likely don’t have many gripes. With that said, Hendricks needed only seven points to match that total from a down year in 2016-17 and has a been playing a less-physical game than he has in the past. Hendricks hasn’t been bad, but Winnipeg would undoubtedly rather see 2014-15 Hendricks, who posted 16 points and 220 hits.

The one team who has had great success with veteran signings in 2017-18 is the Toronto Maple Leafs. San Jose Sharks legend Patrick Marleau chose to sign in Toronto, leaving the only team he had ever played for, but the Leafs had to give him three years and $18.75MM to get it done. So far, it hasn’t been a bad investment. Marleau has 19 points in all 36 games, including 12 goals, and the 38-year-old should easily reach 40 points for the 18th time in his career. However, the real breakout veteran performance has been from the 36-year-old Ron Hainsey, whose signing was initially panned by many. Yet, Hainsey is on pace for one of, if not the best offensive campaigns of his career with 15 points so far. Forming a dynamic duo with Morgan Rielly, Hainsey seems rejuvenated late in his career and it has shown in an improvement on Toronto’s back end. But even the Leafs weren’t perfect though; the signing of Dominic Moore has been a disappointment. Moore has only nine points and has been a frequent scratch after a season with the division rival Boston Bruins in which he put up 25 points and played in all 82 games.

The NHL has been an increasingly difficult place for mediocre older players to find work. There has been a movement toward younger rosters, with veterans settling for minimum contracts, tryouts, or simply heading to Europe. Yet, exceptions continue to be made, especially for some talented older players. After the results this elderly free agent group has shown, veteran signings – especially those demanding big money and term – will surely become even less frequent.

Snapshots: Matthews, Fast, Glendening, Team Canada

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Auston Matthews admitted to reporters today that he had experienced “regular concussion symptoms” while he was held out of the lineup recently, confirming the suspected injury. Matthews collided with teammate Morgan Rielly late in a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier this month, but actually returned to finish the match. He’s been out since with an “upper-body injury” but was back on the ice with teammates for today’s Toronto Maple Leafs practice.

Matthews’ return will be a welcome sight for Toronto, as the team has scored just 14 goals in the six games without him. Eight of those came in the matinee against the Carolina Hurricanes earlier this week, while the team has gone 2-4 and almost completely lost their lead on the Boston Bruins in the Atlantic Division. A decision still hasn’t been made on whether the young superstar will play tomorrow night in New York.

  • Speaking of the Rangers, the team announced today that Jesper Fast has a quadriceps strain and will be out of the lineup for two to three weeks. Boo Nieves is expected to take Fast’s spot in the lineup against the Maple Leafs, though the injury will once again test their forward depth. The Rangers are right in the middle of a dogfight in the Metropolitan Division, with all eight teams separated by just eight points. Fast was off to a good start this season with 16 points in 30 games and well on his way to setting a career-high in scoring.
  • Luke Glendening in Detroit will be out at least four weeks according to head coach Jeff Blashill, which could open the door for Tyler Bertuzzi to stay a little longer with the NHL club. Detroit is falling out of contention in the Atlantic with a recent slide, and could use any spark they can get from a young player entering the lineup.
  • The Canadian Women’s Olympic team was announced today, with 23 players on their way to Pyeongchang in February. Among them is Meghan Agosta, who won her first of three Olympic gold medals in 2006 and is a legendary player on the international stage. Agosta is also an officer with the Vancouver Police Department, a balancing act that was recently profiled by Mike Brophy of CBC Sports. The Canadian women will be one of the favorites again this year, as they look for their fourth-straight gold medal.

Overseas Extensions For Jeffrey, Fraser

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Many NHL veterans and low-profile prospects head overseas in hopes of making a name for themselves and earning a contract back in North America. Others find the perfect niche in Europe and decide to stay put. With the current state of the league finding it more and more difficult for mid-range talent to find fair market value, an increasing number of players are choosing the latter route and sticking with their overseas situation. That pattern continued today with the extensions for Dustin Jeffrey and Mark Fraser.

Jeffrey, 29, was a long-time Pittsburgh Penguins depth player and made stops in Dallas and Arizona as well, all while playing the vast majority of his games in the AHL. While Jeffrey was a gifted forward who always put up good numbers in the minors – including a 71-point campaign with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins – that ability could never quite translate to the NHL. Jeffrey made the move overseas in 2016-17, joining Lausanne HC in the Swiss NLA. Right away, Jeffrey was a good fit, posting a near point-per-game season with 46 points in 49 games, a per-game rate among the league’s best. Yet, this season he off to an even better start with 38 points in 33 games, the best numbers in the league in assists and points. Lausanne rewarded Jeffrey today, announcing a two-year contract extension. Jeffrey is playing the best hockey of his career and has clearly found a place where he is comfortable in western Switzerland.

The veteran defenseman Fraser has found a fit in an entirely different country. After eleven years of North American hockey, including more than 200 NHL games and nearly 500 AHL games mostly with the New Jersey Devils and Toronto Maple Leafs organizations, Fraser made the jump this summer, signing with TPS of the Finnish Liiga. Fraser has only ten games played this season and just a singular point to show for it, but his invaluable experience and leadership is clearly of value to TPS. The team announced that Fraser’s “probationary” contract has been extended through the rest of the season. The team form Turku, Finland is near the top of the Liiga standings right now and could lean on the dependable Fraser down the stretch and in the playoffs.

Atlantic Notes: Nylander, Bruins’ Cup Hopes

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An 8-1 rout of the Carolina Hurricanes was exactly what the slumping Maple Leafs needed. William Nylander was at the top of that list, needed a goal to break a long drought after being victimized by crossbars and posts. Nylander finally scored one, writes Sportsnet’s Luke Fox, and it seemed to ease the tension for the young center who had only scored twice in the past 26 games. Fox adds that Nylander appeared ready to set the league ablaze in scoring, but is now only on pace for 12 goals. Leafs bench boss Mike Babcock, however, calls for pause:

“We think he has the skill to be a centre, to transport the puck, to make plays. The part that we haven’t seen is the ability to play without the puck in his own zone. I would bet you on every team, the majority of forwards were centres, probably eight of the 12. They come into the league and the best players on all the minor hockey league teams are often centres.

They come up and they end up on the wing and it takes a few years to figure out the league and learn how to play hard and how to play without the puck so you don’t spend the whole time just standing there watching the merry-go-round.”

Perhaps that much needed goal could get the young center back on track.

  • ESPN’s crew of writers debated the chances that the Bruins have in making a strong push for a Stanley Cup run. Greg Wyshynski believes that the Nashville Predators serve as inspiration for a team that played on the fringe for awhile before playing stronger as of late. Wyshynski says the teams match up everywhere except in net, where he wonders if Tuukka Rask is capable of playing big like the Preds’ Pekka Rinne did last season for Nashville. Emily Kaplan agrees, believing that their 7-2 throttling of Columbus is an indication they’re truly a contender, but that depth is a concern. She also lauds Charlie McAuvoy as being as good as advertised. Chris Peters takes the dissent, saying that it will take a lot to get past Tampa, and even if they do, defeating a Metropolitan team would be a heavy task as well.

Snapshots: Penguins, Boeser, Maple Leafs

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The Pittsburgh Penguins made two trades today ahead of the holiday roster freeze, but might not be done this season. Josh Yohe of The Athletic spoke with Penguins’ GM Jim Rutherford earlier, who told him that the presence of Jamie Oleksiak—a player Pittsburgh has been looking at for two years—could mean more trades down the line due to added depth on defense.

That’s the same idea that Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette had when he suggested Oleksiak could potentially be “insurance against a future Ian Cole trade.” Cole has been rumored to be available since ending up a healthy scratch earlier this season, and has reportedly clashed with head coach Mike Sullivan multiple times. You’d expect Oleksiak would need to prove his worth for a while before they sent any defenseman out of town.

Morning Notes: Roster Freeze, Team USA, 100 Years

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The NHL’s roster freeze comes into effect tonight, and CapFriendly is here to explain the finer details of the process. On Twitter, they released an easy to understand list of things teams can and cannot do. Basically, it comes down to teams unable to make any roster moves for the next week, but there are some exceptions.

Teams are actually able to send players back to the minor leagues if they were recalled after December 11th, or should a player come off long-term injured reserve and require a roster spot. Because of that, you may still see a bit of movement over the next few days, at least in terms of minor moves.

  • The USA World Junior team has made one cut, releasing Cole Hults from the selection camp today. Hults, a Los Angeles Kings prospect and defenseman at Pennsylvania State University, is one of three expected cuts on defense for the club. As Mike Morreale of NHL.com reports, the team is expected to make further cuts on Wednesday.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs will celebrate 100 years of NHL hockey when they take on the Carolina Hurricanes this afternoon. On December 19th, 1917, the Montreal Wanderers beat the Toronto Arenas 10-9, while the Montreal Canadiens won over the Ottawa Senators 7-4. The Canadiens will also be in action, but are on the road in Vancouver for the historic date.

No Urgency In Maple Leafs’ Defenseman Search

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When Nikita Zaitsev was surprisingly placed on injured reserve this weekend, many believed it could push the Toronto Maple Leafs to make a move ahead of the upcoming holiday roster freeze. Zaitsev, who logs the most ice time of any Maple Leafs player, is expected to be out for at least two weeks with a lower-body injury, hurting what was already seen as a Toronto weak point.

The Maple Leafs have been tenuously linked to several defenders this season like Ian Cole in Pittsburgh and Erik Gudbranson in Vancouver, but haven’t yet made a move to strengthen the back end. Instead, they recalled Martin Marincin from the minor leagues and that could be all they do for some time. Darren Dreger was on TSN radio this morning and spoke about the Maple Leafs’ search, pointing out that he doesn’t believe there is an increased level of urgency.

I don’t get the sense that [Maple Leafs GM] Lou Lamoriello is calling 28 general managers like his partner [Senators GM] Pierre Dorion in Ottawa trying to find something. But the word is out there that if something surfaces on the market, Toronto would have considerable interest.

Dreger goes on to explain that Toronto does have some interesting assets in the form of players like Josh Leivo and Kasperi Kapanen, but reiterates that there is no sense of urgency coming out of the Toronto front office.

All of this comes as the team is mired in a three-game losing streak, thanks in large part to the absence of Auston Matthews. Matthews is out with an upper-body injury, and isn’t expected to play tomorrow against the Carolina Hurricanes in the 100-year anniversary of the first NHL game in Toronto. If he isn’t a late addition, the Maple Leafs will have to look to other places to get them out of their scoring slump.

With the roster freeze kicking in tomorrow night, it’s likely that we’ll have to wait and see what the Maple Leafs have planned for new year on their blueline. For now, Marincin and Connor Carrick will be the beneficiaries of Zaitsev’s injury.

Injury Notes: Spurgeon, Devils, Matthews, Couture, Josefson, McQuaid

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The Minnesota Wild activated defenseman Jared Spurgeon today off of injured reserve and is expected to play tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks, according to Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription required). Spurgeon had been rumored to be returning after having missed nine games with a groin injury. The team had already sent defenseman Ryan Murphy back to Iowa yesterday to make room for Spurgeon.

The 28-year-old blueliner has three goals and 12 assists in 23 games this year. He is not expected to rejoin partner Ryan Suter right away, however. Mathew Dumba filled in for Spurgeon while he was out and the combination of Suter and Dumba has worked well for the Wild as Dumba’s play has improved since the change.

  • The New Jersey Devils are closing in on being fully healthy, according to northjersey.com’s Andrew Gross. Both Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri are expected to play in Monday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks. Hall has missed the past two games with a knee contusion, while Palmieri will be activated off of injured reserve after missing 12 games with a broken right foot. There is also a possibility, although Gross said it’s slim, that winger Marcus Johansson could also play Monday after missing three games with an ankle bruise. If not, then he will be expected to return on Thursday against the New York Rangers. All three players practiced Sunday.
  • Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews (possible concussion) is starting to slowly work his way back. The 20-year-old center skated for 20 minutes Sunday, but did not practice with the team, according to TSN’s Kristen Shilton. She added that coach Mike Babcock is not sure when he’ll be able to play, but added there are no plans to shut him down for a stretch either.
  • The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz tweets that San Jose Sharks leading scorer Logan Couture will miss Monday’s game against Edmonton at minimum after sustaining a head injury in Friday’s game against Vancouver. The Mercury News’ Paul Gackle tweets that head coach Peter DeBoer confirmed Couture suffered a concussion and remains day-to-day. In a separate story, Gackle writes the team will be in trouble if Couture injury keeps him out of the lineup for an extended period of time.
  • NHL.com’s Jourdon LaBarber writes that Buffalo Sabres center Jacob Josefson practiced today with the team and hopes to be ready to play soon after missing 24 games with an ankle injury. Josefson did attempt to come back on Nov. 22 and played two games before re-injuring his ankle. The 26-year-old has only managed to play in nine games for Buffalo after signing a one-year, $700K deal in the offseason. Coach Phil Housley said he will be re-evaluated on Monday. Josefson has one goal and one assist in the nine games he’s played in.
  • Boston Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid might be ready as soon as Monday from a broken fibula he suffered on Oct. 19, according to NHL.com’s Michael Tolvo. The veteran has missed 24 games since then. “I don’t know if Monday he’ll be cleared, but he is close,” added head coach Bruce Cassidy. “He is getting close. He has practiced with us, so it is imminent for him. I just don’t want to pinpoint an exact date.”

 

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