Toronto Team Might Have Motivation Issues
- The Toronto Sun’s Steve Simmons wonders how the Toronto Maple Leafs will stay motivated in the final third of the season. The scribe writes that the Maple Leafs have basically locked up a playoff spot (albeit, unofficially) as they are entrenched in the Atlantic Division’s third playoff spot with a 28-18-5 record. They are unlikely to move up as Boston is five points ahead of them and surging and Tampa Bay 10 points ahead of them in the standings. They are also not likely to fall out of the playoffs as the Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens are 15 points behind them. Simmons believes that coach Mike Babcock will have his hands full for the remainder of the season and hopes when the time comes, the team will be ready for the playoffs.
All-Star Skills Competition Assignments Released
With the All-Star game one day away, many NHL fans often get more excited for the 2018 GEICO NHL All-Star Skills Competition, which will be tonight. The NHL released the list of who will be participating in each of the six competitions with the winner of each receiving $25K.
Enterprise NHL Fastest Skater – Each skater is timed for one full lap around the rink.
Brayden Point (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Zach Werenski (Columbus Blue Jackets)
Rickard Rakell (Anaheim Ducks)
Noah Hanifin (Carolina Hurricanes)
Josh Bailey (New York Islanders)
Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche)
Jack Eichel (Buffalo Sabres)
Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers)
Dunkin Donuts NHL Passing Challenge – Requires three skills over one round, including Target Passing (making four passes to a target that light up randomly), Give-and-Go (must complete four successful passes through a course in the neutral zone) and Mini Nets (must complete four passes over barricades and into mini-nets).
Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Claude Giroux (Philadelphia Flyers)
Brayden Schenn (St. Louis Blues)
Oliver Ekman-Larsson (Arizona Coyotes)
Eric Staal (Minnesota Wild)
Alex Pietrangelo (St. Louis Blues)
Kris Letang (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Drew Doughty (Los Angeles Kings)
GEICO NHL Save Streak – Goalies attempt to win by making the most consecutive saves against an opposing division on a minimum of nine shots.
Henrik Lundqvist (New York Rangers) vs. Central Division
Connor Hellebuyck (Vancouver Canucks) vs. Pacific Division
Pekka Rinne (Nashville Predators) vs. Metropolitan Division
Marc-Andre Fleury (Vegas Golden Knights) vs. Atlantic Division
Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay Lightning) vs. Central Division
Gatorade NHL Puck Control Relay – A timed event that involves three skills, including Stickhandling (where a skater must control a puck through a series of eight pucks in a straight line), Cone Control (where a skater controls a puck through a series of eight cones in a zig-zag formation) and Gates (where a skater must shoot or choose to guide the puck through a lighted rung of a gate).
Johnny Gaudreau (Calgary Flames)
Aleksander Barkov (Florida Panthers)
Erik Karlsson (Ottawa Senators)
John Tavares (New York Islanders)
Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers)
Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Tyler Seguin (Dallas Stars)
Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks)
PPG NHL Hardest Shot – Over two rounds, each player will attempt two shots measured in miles per hour with the highest speed recorded.
John Klingberg (Dallas Stars)
Alex Ovechkin (Washington Capitals)
P.K. Subban (Nashville Predators)
Brent Burns (San Jose Sharks)
Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Honda NHL Shooting Accuracy – A timed event in which a skater is positioned 25 feet behind the goal line and must shoot at five LED targets in the goal. A target will light up and the players has three seconds to hit it.
Brian Boyle (New Jersey Devils)
Blake Wheeler (Winnipeg Jets)
James Neal (Vegas Golden Knights)
Brock Boeser (Vancouver Canucks)
Brad Marchand (Boston Bruins)
Anze Kopitar (Los Angeles Kings)
Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Maple Leafs Assign Kasperi Kapanen To AHL
- The Maple Leafs announced that they have returned winger Kasperi Kapanen to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. His stint with the big club didn’t last very long as he was only recalled back on Tuesday although there is a good chance he’ll be recalled in advance of their next game on Wednesday. Kapanen has two goals in eight NHL games so far this season while adding 22 points (10-12-22) in 27 minor league contests, earning himself an All-Star nod at that level. However, despite being sent down today, Kapanen has been replaced by teammate Andreas Johnsson for the AHL All-Star Classic which takes place Sunday and Monday.
Snapshots: Rangers, Dahlin, Johnson
The New York Rangers are currently just a single point out of a playoff spot, and two points out of second place in the Metropolitan Division, but according to Larry Brooks of the New York Post that won’t make them buyers at the deadline. In fact, Brooks writes that the Rangers are preparing to “blow it up” and are willing to deal Ryan McDonagh and Mats Zuccarello along with their rental options.
It’s not the first time we’ve heard McDonagh’s name mentioned, as he currently sits tenth on the TSN Trade Bait board, but is still might come as a surprise. The Rangers captain has logged 24 minutes a night again this season, and currently has 24 points through 45 games. While he may not match his career-high of 14 goals, he’s certainly a bargain at his $4.7MM cap hit this year and next.
- Welcome to “the Rasmus Dahlin draft” writes TSN insider Bob McKenzie, who released his early rankings for the 2018 NHL Entry Draft today. Dahlin tops the board like everywhere else, but McKenzie’s rankings do differ from some of the other leading sources. Perhaps most notably is Ryan Merkley at #11, as the dynamic Guelph defenseman has slipped to the back half of the first round in most other rankings. McKenzie explains why, noting Merkley’s perceived attitude problem and temperament as potential reasons for his fall.
- Darren Dreger was on TSN 1050 radio today, and said that he’d be “shocked” if the Toronto Maple Leafs’ GM Lou Lamoriello hadn’t called on Jack Johnson from the Columbus Blue Jackets. As noted in our most recent live chat, Johnson does seem like a pretty good fit for the Maple Leafs down the stretch as he tries to secure a long-term contract this summer. Johnson is looking for an opportunity to play a big role somewhere, and the Maple Leafs have had a revolving door in the back half of their defense corps. Still, with Morgan Rielly and Nikita Zaitsev returning from injury soon and Travis Dermott showing he’s ready for the NHL, the Maple Leafs aren’t guaranteed to be on the market any longer.
Snapshots: Sharks, McAvoy, Pesce
The San Jose Sharks have won two games in a row and find themselves in second place in the Pacific Division, and are still on the lookout for a fourth-line center to help out their forward group. Meanwhile, Kevin Kurz of The Athletic (subscription required) has kept track of the scouts attending recent games and one team stands out in particular.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have been at three of the last six Sharks games, and also sent a representative to take in a San Jose Barracuda game recently. The expectation is that it was to see Paul Martin, who is still looking for another opportunity in the NHL. Martin has a single point in seven games during his AHL stint, and could be a potential option for a club looking to help their defense down the stretch.
- Charlie McAvoy is out of hospital and on the road to recovery after undergoing a procedure yesterday correcting an abnormal heart rhythm. McAvoy is expected to be out for two weeks, but has avoided a potential long-term problem. The Boston Bruins are one of the league’s hottest teams right now and will have to find a way to replace McAvoy’s minutes internally.
- Brett Pesce has been activated off injured reserve for the Carolina Hurricanes, just in time for their important matchup with the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight. The Hurricanes are in last place in the Metropolitan Division but just three points out of a wildcard spot, and will have to pass the Penguins if they’re to make the playoffs this season. Pesce’s return should help them correct what has been a porous defense of late, allowing 27 goals in their last seven games.
Eastern Notes: van Riemsdyk, Price, Ho-Sang
While the Toronto Maple Leafs find themselves in an interesting cap situation in the future, the team seems to be content with making a playoff run and using their trade deadline assets in James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak and Leo Komarov as “own rentals” instead. All three players will be unrestricted free agents next season and it seems unlikely that all three will be retained.
While the team may be able to find a way to keep one or two of the free agents, there is a lot of speculation that the team is unlikely to be able to extend van Riemsdyk due to the scorer’s likely high contract demands this summer and their own cap situation, The Athletic’s James Mirtle (subscription required) asks the question whether it’s a good idea to lose the veteran wing for nothing. The in-depth story begins by looking at van Riemsdyk’s value as he currently has 19 goals in 47 goals and is on pace for one of his best seasons ever. Breaking down the numbers, Mirtle suggests that the team could easily afford the 28-year-old for the first two years of a deal, but complications will come after that when the team must start extending their young stars in Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Mitch Marner. That doesn’t even get to the thought the team might want to bring in a big-name defenseman at some point.
No matter how you look at it, the scribe writes, there is no easy way to fix the problem. He writes the team should have moved van Riemsdyk a year ago to have gotten the true value they needed, but can’t move him now when the team is poised for a playoff run. It seems clear the team intends to invest elsewhere in the future and will have to fill the veteran’s place from within.
- Eric Engels of Sportsnet writes that Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price said that he was suffering from chronic fatigue at the beginning of the season and couldn’t recover his energy after games and practices. “I was always tired,” Price told TVA Sports. “A guy who eats well and sleeps well like me isn’t supposed to be tired like I was.” After seeing a nutritionist, it turned out he had vitamin deficiencies in vitamin D and B12. Once taking supplements, Price said it took about three weeks before he began to see an improvement in his energy levels. Before being injured on Nov. 2, Price had a 3-7-1 record and a .877 save percentage.
- Newsday’s Arthur Staple writes that while the New York Islanders have made a number of moves, bringing up players from the Bridgeport Sound Tigers to help the team, many fans have noticed that prospect Joshua Ho-Sang has not been among them. That’s because, according to head coach Doug Weight, Ho-Sang is not trying very hard in the AHL. He was a healthy scratch with the AHL squad last week with finger-pointing towards his lack of effort. “It’s a crying shame he’s not playing with John Tavares when (Josh Bailey) goes down,” Weight said. “We had six guys out. It was a perfect opportunity. And Josh should be upset with himself. Whether our view of the world is wrong is something we can argue later. But the fact is, we need to be able to look at how some guys are laying it on the line [in Bridgeport] and he’s a healthy scratch. So to go from that to the first lineup here, where is he learning from that? That’s a big, big part of this.” Ho-Sang has five goals and 10 assists in 20 games with Bridgeport.
Karlsson Rumors Starting To Heat Up Again
While trade talk surrounding top defenseman Erik Karlsson seemed to have died down in recent weeks, general manager Pierre Dorion has recently stirred the rumor mill right back up again after making comments about Karlsson on Thursday to NHL.com’s Chris Stevenson.
“Our first priority with Erik is to sign him,” Dorion said. “He’s a special player, but Wayne Gretzky got traded, so, if a team offers you an offer you can’t turn down, you listen. But our first priority is to sign Erik Karlsson and [for] Erik Karlsson to be a Senator for life.”
The 27-year-old blueliner made headlines back in early December when he said that while he loves playing in Ottawa, he has no intention of taking a hometown discount when his contract expires after next season. The comments began much trade speculation which spiraled out of control and the Senators have worked hard to dismiss any interest in moving out their star player, until now.
However, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman had more to say Friday on Dorion’s comments on an appearance on Sportsnet’s 590.
“I guess they’re just laying the groundwork for the possibility (Karlsson) could get traded. I think that’s what they’re saying,” Friedman said. “Look, I think Erik Karlsson wants to be an Ottawa Senator for the rest of his career. That’s his first choice, to me. But I think there’s a lot of players there who doubt they can win under current ownership — I think he’s one of them. I think his preference would be to stay under different ownership. But I think the Senators sent the word out that ‘If you really are serious, give us a call with a serious offer.’”
Karlsson hasn’t been as effective as in previous years for Ottawa this year, although he remains the team’s top defenseman by far. The two-time Norris Trophy winner, who had 17 goals and 71 points last year, currently has three goals and 30 points in 38 games this year, although he spent his offseason recovering from foot surgery and needed time to return to form after missing time at the start of this season. He also sports a minus-19 plus/minus ratio.
Dozens of teams have been linked to rumors of interest in the star blueliner including the New York Islanders and Toronto Maple Leafs. The Senators are expected to make several moves to rebuild after a disappointing season this year, could quicken a rebuild with a quality trade return for Karlsson, although Dorion does hold out hope they can lock up Karlsson to a long-term deal.
Minor Transactions: 01/19/18
There will be plenty of minor moves again today as the NHL prepares for the weekend, and we’ll keep track of them right here. Keep checking back throughout the day to find out if your favorite team has tweaked their roster.
- The Winnipeg Jets are coming off their bye week, and have recalled Michael Hutchinson and Jack Roslovic. Hutchinson’s recall likely means that Steve Mason is still dealing with the concussion-like symptoms that took him out of the lineup last week, and provides an interesting opportunity for the younger netminder. Hutchinson has dominated the AHL this season and is set to hit unrestricted free agency in the summer. Showing that he’s capable at the NHL level, even in a limited sample, would go a long way to earning him a contract in a few months.
- Buffalo, fresh off another loss at the hands of the New York Rangers, have recalled Nicholas Baptiste from the Rochester Americans. Baptiste has played four games for the Sabres this season, and has 17 points in 34 games during his time in the AHL. The third-round pick had four points for Buffalo last season, but isn’t expected to make an immediate offensive impact.
- The New York Islanders have placed Casey Cizikas on injured reserve, recalling Ross Johnston from the minor leagues in the process. Johnston can fill a physical role on the Islanders, as the 6’5″ 236-lbs winger currently leads the AHL in penalty minutes with 113. He does have 11 points through 37 games, but won’t be used for his offensive ability in the NHL.
- The Calgary Flames are off their bye week, and with that they’ve recalled Marek Hrivik and Andrew Mangiapane from the AHL. The pair were sent down to continue playing, but were always expected to be brought back up when the week break ended. The Flames are back in action tomorrow afternoon against the Winnipeg Jets.
- Ken Appleby is back up with the New Jersey Devils, this time under emergency conditions. Appleby will likely serve as the backup for Keith Kinkaid tomorrow, while Corey Schneider continues to deal with an injury. Appleby, 22, has now spent time on an ECHL, AHL and NHL roster this season.
- The Minnesota Wild have recalled Kyle Rau from the AHL ahead of their game tomorrow against the Tampa Bay Lightning. It’s Rau’s first call up of the season, but he does have 33 NHL games under his belt with the Florida Panthers. Rau was signed to a one-year, two-way deal on July 1st, and has 21 points in 36 games for the Iowa Wild.
- With Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Nate Thompson dealing with injuries for the Ottawa Senators, the club has recalled forward Colin White from the AHL. The Senators take on the Maple Leafs tomorrow night, and needed a twelfth body to line up at forward. White has 16 points in 30 games for the Belleville Senators this season, but is a big part of the Ottawa plan going forward. The first-round pick could get a longer look down the stretch.
Trade Rumors Swirl Around Toronto
It wasn’t long ago that the Toronto Maple Leafs were one of the worst franchises in the NHL, making the playoffs once in just eleven seasons and suffering an epic collapse in that one postseason appearance. Therefore, it was fittingly a surprising and exciting story line when the young 2016-17 Maple Leafs made the playoffs and even gave the President’s Trophy-winning Washington Capitals a run for their money in the conference quarterfinals. Toronto had finally turned it around.
This season however, expectations have changed. In an especially weak Atlantic Division, the Leafs have, for all intents and purposes, already locked up the third Atlantic playoff spot and are simply looking to strengthen their roster for what seems to be a collision course with the Boston Bruins in the first round, a rematch of their 2013 blunder. While much of that preparation will simply be maintaining a healthy roster and polishing their play through the rest of the regular season, there is also much anticipation that further additions to the team are in order to give the team a shot at the Stanley Cup this spring.
Trade speculation is natural for contenders, but it isn’t always rational. There has already been a notion among many sources that impending unrestricted free agents James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak, and Leo Komarov will be used as the team’s own “rentals” and that the Leafs could be unlikely to add a forward. There’s also the fact that Toronto has next to no cap space to make a typical picks/prospects-for-player rental deal. Yet, fans are still eager to grasp at any rumors of the Leafs adding a big-time defenseman or another depth piece up front.
Case in point: Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reported earlier today that rookie defenseman Travis Dermott‘s number was suddenly changed from #3 to #23 without his approval. The reaction from Toronto fans was overwhelmingly that the team was set to acquire a veteran player with the #3. Even SB Nation’s Maple Leafs blog Pension Plan Puppets was quick to post a somewhat laughable list of potential former Leafs whose #3 could be saved for retirement alongside a more serious list of current #3’s throughout the league who could be future Leafs. The vast majority of that list are defenseman, which lends some credence to the theory, but many – Seth Jones, John Klingberg, Brayden McNabb, Tucker Poolman – are likely untouchable and others – Kevin Bieksa, Chris Bigras, Nick Jensen – are likely of no interest to Toronto. Could the Pittsburgh Penguins really be ready to move on from Olli Maatta? Would the Leafs really be willing to take on the Keith Yandle contract or the risk of uber-physical Radko Gudas? Or was the number change simply due to some other decision that carries far less weight than Toronto fans would like it to?
Only time will tell what moves the Maple Leafs make prior to the Trade Deadline, but the expectations are not going away any time soon. Toronto’s Stanley Cup window has only just opened, but the hockey-crazed city is ready for their first title since 1967 and fans will be eager to see the club add additional pieces to strengthen the roster. The Leafs will continue to be a team to watch through the next month and a half, but that doesn’t mean every little piece of information on the rumor mill is worth taking seriously.
Morning Notes: Ekman-Larsson, Czechs, Sikura
Oliver Ekman-Larsson is one of the most interesting names on the rumor mill lately, with the Arizona Coyotes destined for a finish near the bottom of the league once again. The 26-year old defenseman will be a free agent in the summer of 2019, but Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun writes that the team will have to make a decision before that.
Garrioch reports that the asking price for Ekman-Larsson right now is two high-end roster players and a first-round pick, a prohibitive package for any team really trying to compete this year. Still, the Maple Leafs, Devils and Flyers have all apparently shown interest in the defender in the past, and several other teams would surely jump in if the price dropped closer to the deadline.
- The Czech Republic released their Olympic team for the upcoming Games, including familiar NHL names like Martin Erat, Roman Cervenka and Jiri Sekac. Like the other countries, the Czech team is made up of professionals scattered across various European leagues and the KHL.
- Dylan Sikura continues to impress at Northeastern with 30 points in his first 19 games, and as Scott Powers of The Athletic writes, the Chicago Blackhawks have more than just an eye on him for the end of the season. The Blackhawks fully intend to sign Sikura and add him to the NHL roster after his NCAA career comes to an end, though depending on how far his school goes in the final tournament if could throw a wrench into those plans. Powers excellently details all the possibilities for Sikura, including waiting until August 15th to become an unrestricted free agent. Though that technically could happen still, it seems extremely unlikely that he’d do anything but sign with the Blackhawks at this point.