Garrioch’s Latest: Vegas Coaching Candidates, Leafs, Kings, Hanzal
The NHL’s roster freeze kicks in tonight and as Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun writes, it’s likely that there won’t be any sort of significant movement between now and then. Multiple league executives told Garrioch that the sense is that teams are content to get through the holidays before really starting to entertain any potential trades.
Part of the problem right now is that cap space is at a premium for a lot of teams (16 teams either have someone on LTIR or are less than $1MM under the cap which doesn’t allow for much wiggle room) while only a handful of teams could be classified as sellers as things currently sit in the standings. Add those two elements together and it’s not difficult to figure out why the trade market is quiet at this stage.
Garrioch also provides some other notes from around the league:
- The Vegas Golden Knights are looking at former Philadelphia head coach Craig Berube (currently the head coach with AHL Chicago) and current Montreal associate coach Kirk Muller as potential options to be their inaugural bench boss. Garrioch expects that GM George McPhee will be looking for a good communicator to work with their roster and both of those coaches fit that bill. He also suggests Rick Bowness, the associate coach in Tampa Bay, as a potential option and notes that his experience with an expansion team (Ottawa) would be an asset.
- Add the Toronto Maple Leafs to the list of teams looking for an impact defenseman. The problem for the Leafs (and any other team) is that as many as half the teams around the league are looking for blueline help. Given where Toronto is in the standings as well as where they are in their rebuilding process, it’s more than likely that they’d be looking for a longer-term fit than a rental player.
- The Kings are looking to add another goaltender with Jonathan Quick still out for several months but haven’t discussed Ondrej Pavelec with the Jets since the GM meetings. Ottawa’s Andrew Hammond was also on their radar a while back but doesn’t appear to be now. GM Dean Lombardi told reporters last week that he won’t overpay to bring in another netminder. They have about $1.5MM in cap space at the moment per CapFriendly.
- Arizona has been looking to move center Martin Hanzal but teams remain unsure about what the Coyotes are looking to get in a return. Hanzal, a pending unrestricted free agent, has 10 points in 26 games this season and would slide in as a third option on a lot of teams. Garrioch notes that the sense is that the price will involve a quality prospect and at least a second round pick if a deal gets done. With a cap hit of $3.1MM, Hanzal is likely to be one of the cheaper impact rental players on the block which should help draw interest from several teams.
Monday Morning Recalls And Demotions
10:23am: TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that Mike Babcock announced that Tyler Bozak and Ben Smith are both considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury and an upper-body injury respectively.
In Nashville, the Predators have recalled defenseman Adam Pardy from the AHL, as P.K. Subban will be out of the lineup. Subban did not accompany the Predators on their current two-game road trip.
9:53am: A couple Ontario-based NHL teams have made roster moves on Monday morning.
The Ottawa Senators have assigned Casey Bailey and Ben Harpur to the Binghamton Senators of the AHL, according to Bruce Garrioch. The right-winger Bailey was held pointless in two games with the Senators, but has 14 points in 25 games with the AHL’s Senators. Harper appeared in one game and was also held pointless. The defenseman has three assists in 20 AHL games this season. Garrioch reports that the demotions were made because Fredrik Claesson is ready to return after suffering a lower-body injury earlier this month.
The Senators are not skating on Monday, so it’s not yet known how severe Andrew Hammond‘s injury is. Hammond left Sunday night’s game just 16 minutes in with an apparent ankle injury. Should the Hamburglar be unable to go, Garrioch suggests that Matt O’Connor would get the call. Starting goaltender Craig Anderson is away from the team to be with his wife Nicholle, and is not expected back before Christmas.
Over to Toronto, where the Maple Leafs have announced the recall of center Frederik Gauthier. In a related move, injured defenseman Martin Marincin has been placed on injured reserve. Marincin is expected to be out for four-to-six weeks after sustaining a lower-body injury last week. Gauthier has four points in 16 games with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL. The Athletic’s David Alter reports Gauthier is centering the fourth line at practice on Monday morning.
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The Maple Leafs are without three regulars at practice this morning; defenseman Jake Gardiner, Tyler Bozak and Ben Smith were all missing, so Alter wonders if that explains Gauthier’s recall. Much-scratched defenseman Frankie Corrado was bounced between pairings throughout practice but will be in the lineup when the Maple Leafs host former coach Randy Carlyle and the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night.
Weekend Milestones: Meier, Zaitsev, Lundqvist
It’s finally #TimoTime. After fans have been calling for him since the start of the season, the San Jose Sharks finally brought up prized prospect Timo Meier to the NHL after Logan Couture suffered an injury. The former top-ten pick showed his physical play early on, scoring a goal on his first NHL shot, a loose puck in front of Carey Price midway through the first period. Meier basically caught a shot from David Schlemko with his stick inches from the blue paint, then tucked it around the Montreal netminder on his backhand.
Though the 20-year old winger played just 10 minutes, he recorded three shots and two hits and flew around the ice. His power-forward style is a perfect fit for a Sharks team that loves to forecheck and possess the puck as much as possible down low. If Meier can continue to put up points in limited minutes, perhaps he’ll move up the lineup as the season progresses. For now, he’ll just soak in every second of being in the NHL – even if it is coming easy to him thus far.
- In Toronto on Saturday night, another player recorded his first NHL goal, though it is by no means his first professional one. Nikita Zaitsev, a Maple Leafs rookie who has played seven seasons in the KHL, notched his first in a 2-1 overtime victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Zaitsev only turned 25 a month ago, having played in the Russian professional league since he was 17. Skating alongside Morgan Rielly for the majority of his icetime, Zaitsev has 11 points in 30 games and has garnered high praise from head coach Mike Babcock. His best season in Russia was in 2014-15 when the Moscow native scored 32 points in 57 games for his hometown team. Logging 22 minutes a night, he’ll look to provide that kind of impact for the Maple Leafs this season. He’s a restricted free agent at the end of the year.
- For one of the most well-respected goaltenders in the history of the game, Saturday night was just another win. In reality it put Henrik Lundqvist needs just one win away from tying Dominik Hasek as the leader all-time among European-born goaltenders. As Dan Rosen reports, Lundvist now has 388 wins in 708 games, while it took Hasek 735 to amass his 389. Passsing Hasek would put Lundqvist 12th all-time, and within striking distance of the top 10. The play of Antti Raanta may have caused some to question who the best goaltender in New York is currently, but if you ask people about the best in Rangers history, you’ll be sure to get a lot of ‘King Henrik’ answers.
- One of the most polarizing figures in hockey for his entire career has been John Tortorella. Always in the headlines for something he’s said or a new coaching method, he often wears out his welcome in cities sooner than later. You can’t exactly argue with his resume though, with a Stanley Cup victory and Jack Adams award with his name on it. Not only does he have the upstart Columbus Blue Jackets in a playoff spot currently (and way ahead of their pace from last year) he’ll go for his 500th career win Sunday against Vancouver, the team that fired him in 2014 after just a single (disastrous) season. Only 23 other coaches have ever reached the mark, and at 58 he still has many years left. While he’ll never reach the all-time mark set by Scotty Bowman (1244 wins is still more than 400 more than second place, Joel Quenneville), he’ll likely end up somewhere in the top-20. If Columbus continues their current pace and development of young players, maybe he’ll go down as the first coach to take the franchise past the first round.
Leafs Recall Enroth; Reassign Bibeau To AHL
The Maple Leafs have recalled goaltender Jhonas Enroth from their AHL affiliate in Toronto and reassigned fellow netminder Antoine Bibeau to the Marlies, according to James Mirtle of The Atlantic (Twitter link). Enroth struggled out of the gate for the Leafs after signing a free agent deal with the team in the offseason, posting a 3.94 GAA and a 0.872 Save % in six games. He was sent to the AHL after clearing waivers 10 days ago and has appeared in just one contest with the Marlies, stopping 24 of 27 shots in a Toronto win.
Bibeau made one start for the Leafs, backstopping the Leafs in a 3 – 1 loss to Colorado in the young net minder’s NHL debut. He allowed just two goals on 28 shots. Mirtle reports that the move is likely designed to get Bibeau more game action as the Leafs have just four games over the next 11 days and with Frederik Andersen playing well, it’s assumed the Danish goalie will get all of those starts.
The Leafs also added veteran Karri Ramo on an AHL PTO with the idea he would ultimately replace Enroth as Andersen’s understudy. However Ramo has struggled with the Marlies in three appearances in the minors. Ramo spent the summer recovering from major knee surgery and may simply need more playing time to round his game into shape.
Maple Leafs Notes: Marincin, Corrado, Matthews
According to a variety of NHL reporters including Chris Johnston, Kristen Shilton, and David Alter, the Toronto Maple Leafs will be without Martin Marincin for the next four-to-six weeks.
The big defenseman reportedly has a lower-body injury. It was previously reported as a potential back injury, after Marincin left Saturday night’s game versus the Bruins after falling awkwardly. Marincin has 5 points in 16 games so far this season, a much better pace than any previous season in his career.
This could be an opportunity for Frankie Corrado to see some playing time in the NHL. Corrado recently expressed disappointment with Mike Babcock‘s handling of him in his two seasons with his hometown Maple Leafs, having played just 40 games out of a possible 111. He’s played just once this season. Corrado was a fifth-round pick of the Vancouver Canucks, but was claimed on waivers last October. The Leafs have carried him as an eighth defenseman for the majority of that time to avoid losing him on waivers.
[Related: Maple Leafs Depth Chart]
Meanwhile, Maple Leafs’ first-overall pick Auston Matthews faced his childhood team, the Arizona Coyotes, for the first time in his career. Matthews is a native of Scottsdale, Arizona and has skated with players like Shane Doan in summers past.
While Matthews scored his fourteenth goal of the season in his first game against the Coyotes, Toronto ultimately lost in the shootout at the hands of former Leaf Peter Holland. Holland was traded to the Coyotes one week ago after a tough start to the season with the Maple Leafs, where he only appeared in eight games.
Frank Corrado Voices Displeasure Over Lack Of Playing Time
Maple Leafs defenseman Frank Corrado finds himself in nearly an identical situation as last season when it comes to not getting into the lineup. While he has been healthy for all of Toronto’s 28 games this year, he has played just once, spending the rest of the time as a scratch. Last year, he kept quiet about his displeasure but speaking with David Alter of The Athletic, Corrado isn’t hiding his frustration this time around:
“It’s frustrating now. When you don’t get to play for a month and a half, and you’ve played in one game all year, it takes its toll on you mentally… Yeah, you’re in the NHL. It’s not that the novelty has worn off; it’s just that it’s time to play. It’s time to have a career. I feel like the more I’m not playing, that’s food off my table. That’s kind of the way I see it right now.”
Corrado joined the Leafs just before the season opener in 2015-16 after being claimed off of waivers from Vancouver. Despite being fully healthy, he didn’t make it into Toronto’s lineup until the middle of December and it was only in late January where he started to play regularly. He finished the season with six points in 39 games and was hoping to be more of a regular this year. Unfortunately for Corrado, that hasn’t been the case.
The 23 year old confirmed to Alter that he has not asked for a trade although he noted that he has been in contact with GM Lou Lamoriello regarding his lack of playing time.
“I talked to Lou and he’s been supportive with me. He told me he likes me, and he wants me here. It does make me feel better about the situation, but at the end of the day, the coach is the one who makes the lineup and if the coach doesn’t like you, then you’re not going to play. And that’s where I’m at right now.”
Toronto has been carrying eight defensemen this season, in part because they don’t want to risk losing Corrado to waivers like Vancouver did last year. With Martin Marincin out indefinitely with a back injury, Corrado should at least move up one slot on the depth chart for the time being. However, given how little he has played this year, it’s not out of the question that if another injury were to strike, the team could opt to pull someone up from their AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, to avoid the risk of putting someone who has been scratched this long into the lineup. In the meantime, Corrado will continue to bide his time while he awaits his second appearance in a Maple Leaf uniform this season.
[Related: Maple Leafs Depth Chart]
Snapshots: Kings, Hunlack, Bogosian
In his latest column, ESPN Insider Pierre LeBrun takes a look at the Los Angeles Kings roster and suggest strategies for the upcoming expansion draft. LeBrun boils the issue down to two names: Brayden McNabb and Dustin Brown. If the team wishes to protect McNabb, they’ll have to go the “eight skaters” option, since Drew Doughty, Jake Muzzin and Alec Martinez will undoubtedly need protection. If they do, they put at risk some of their big names up front, including former captain Dustin Brown. While Brown is coming off the worst year of his career, he’s turned it around a bit this season and may be an interesting option for the Vegas team to bring in a veteran forward who could immediately become their first captain.
On the other hand, if they choose to leave McNabb exposed he may not necessarily be the selection since he only has one year remaining before becoming a highly sought after free agent in 2018. At 27, the shutdown defender would have teams lining up to bring him into the fold, and he’ll be looking for a substantial raise from the $1.8MM he’ll make next season. For the Kings, just like every other team, the expansion draft will be a game of chicken with George McPhee and the Vegas front office.
- In Toronto, a nickname has surfaced for the veteran third pairing of Matt Hunwick and Roman Polak; “Hunlack”, as many fans refer to the duo has been chided incessantly by the analytics community for their constant struggle with possession metrics. While the two rank terribly in terms of Corsi and Fenwick, head coach Mike Babcock dismisses the notion that they’re unplayable. When asked by Chris Johnston of Sportsnet what makes up a good game for them, Babcock replied “There’s a bunch of ways to look at the game. So Corsi’s one, maybe. But who turns the video on and rewinds to see if those shots actually hit the net or not? Because our math and theirs don’t add up. So what I do is I say: ‘Did the puck go in or did they get scoring chances against?'” While the metrics available to the public don’t necessarily share Babcock’s assesment of the pairing, he does seem to imply that the Maple Leafs’ internal numbers don’t match up exactly. Perhaps even though ‘Hunlack’ doesn’t generate shots like Toronto’s other pairings, they can be effective in other ways – or maybe it’s just talking them up for the trade deadline.
- For Buffalo, their season-long struggle with injuries is starting to see an end. After Jack Eichel has rejoined the team and shown why he shouldn’t be forgotten as last season’s second-overall pick, the team got more good news today. Zach Bogosian, out since the beginning of November with a knee injury, took full part in today’s practice and should be back before long. Now they just have to figure out a way to motivate Zemgus Girgensons and Evander Kane, both of whom will skate on the fourth line tonight against the Los Angeles Kings.
Comparative Standings: One Year Ago
With the first third of the season completed for all but Columbus (who have amazingly played just 26 games, six fewer than the Winnipeg Jets), there have been some huge swings from a year ago.
Those Blue Jackets are the league’s most improved team, with a staggering 18 more points through 26 games than last season. Their huge swing is only matched by the Dallas Stars equally amazing drop-off of 18 points the other way. The Jackets can attest their improvement to the development of young players like Zach Werenski and Alexander Wennberg, while the Stars have seen a litany of injuries to their star players including Jason Spezza, Patrick Sharp and Johnny Oduya.
The Central Division as a whole is off to a slower start this year, with only the Chicago Blackhawks bettering their 2015-16 record. The Colorado Avalanche, expected to take a step forward with their young core has suffered the exact same fate with 23 points through 27 games.
The two biggest Canadian rebuild stories, Edmonton and Toronto have both improved, though not as largely as the fan bases in each city might have you believe. Four points for the Maple Leafs and five for the Oilers lend credence to the idea that it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish that counts. Though both franchises have a lot to look forward to, keeping up an advanced pace for an entire season is extremely difficult. The two teams finished last season with just 69 and 70 points respectively.
Below are the current standings. In parenthesis is the difference in points through the same amount of games last year.
Shark Notes: Mueller, Injuries, Grosenick
The San Jose Sharks have got to be playing a trick. Just a day after his latest assignment to the AHL, Mirco Mueller has been recalled by the team. This marks the defenseman’s third call up in the past week as the team plays ping-pong with his contract. The amazing thing is that he still hasn’t played in a single game for the Sharks, while dressing 18 times for the Barracuda between callups. The 21-year old former first-round pick has fallen victim to the waivers game since he is the Sharks best option that is exempt from the process. With seven points in his AHL games the big puck moving defender is off to a nice start despite all the up and downs.
- Mueller will again possibly see some NHL action this week as both David Schlemko and Marc-Edouard Vlasic are considered day-to-day with lower body injuries. According to Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News, Vlasic didn’t skate with the team Sunday (though it was only a half-hour optional practice) and is unsure of his status for Tuesday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs. While not clear even when it happened during the Carolina game on Saturday night, he’s literally taking it day by day: “I’m thinking today and today I’m trying to get better. We’ll see tomorrow and it’s going to be the same thing.”
- Schlemko, out the last three games is closer to returning, but still isn’t 100% either. He took part in the optional Sunday skate, but will likely be a game-time decision on Tuesday night. Dylan DeMelo has been filling in for Schlemko, but is right-handed and may not be able to fill in for Vlasic should he miss the upcoming games; Mueller does play the left side, and would be a natural replacement if much less experienced than the elite shutdown defender.
- Pashelka also tells us that Troy Grosenick has been chosen as the AHL player of the week. The netminder amazingly stopped all 64 shots he faced this week after coming back from injury to rejoin the Barracuda. The 27-year old undrafted pro has a 1.98 goals against average this year and is holding a steady .928 save percentage. Grosenick made his NHL debut in 2014-15 with the Sharks, playing in two games and allowing just three goals. While last year was a bit of a disaster for the veteran AHLer, it’s not inconceivable for him to get a look as an NHL backup at some point down the road if he can keep up this excellence. He’ll hit unrestricted free agency for the first time this summer, and would be an interesting option for a team looking for a cheap option in net.
Minor Transactions: Canucks, Predators, Leafs, Bruins
Vancouver Canucks GM Jim Benning announced today that a trio of players has been sent down to the Utica Comets of the AHL. Center Joseph Labate and defenseman Andrey Pedan, both recent promotions, will head back to upstate New York. For Labate, it was the first NHL call-up of his career. In three games, Labate failed to register a point, but was an effective physical presence on the ice. A 2011 fourth-round pick, Labate had a successful four-year career at the University of Wisconsin before joining Utica last year for his first full pro season. Pedan, a native of Lithuania, played in 13 games with the Canucks in 2015-16, but was held scoreless and fell victim to some noticeable defensive mistakes. He did not get into a game on this most recent call-up. The hulking blue liner had his best pro season with Utica last year, but still has yet to hit his stride at the pro level. His physical dominance with the OHL’s Guelph Storm led to him being selected by the New York Islanders in the third round in 2011, but has not been as noticeable at the next level.
Meanwhile, the third demotion is Anton Rodin, who heads to Utica for a conditioning stint. The reigning MVP of the Swedish Elite League, Rodin is still making his way back from the injury that shortened his season in Sweden last year. In a strange change of direction, Rodin, who looked healthy (and promising) in the preseason, was suddenly unable to play and placed on IR to start the regular season. The shifty, skilled winger now hopes to make his NHL debut soon, as the conditioning stint is the last stop on his road to recovery. It has been a long time coming for a player that Vancouver drafted in 2009. In need of a boost, the Canucks can only hope that Rodin immediately fits in at the NHL level, much like when Carl Soderberg finally made the trip across the Atlantic to join the Boston Bruins in 2013.
In other minor moves:
- In an identical series of moves, the Nashville Predators assigned two players to the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals today and sent a third along as well on a conditioning stint. Forward Frederick Gaudreau, recently-signed defenseman Adam Pardy, and recently-claimed forward Reid Boucher are headed north to join the Admirals. The 23-year-old rookie Gaudreau (no relation) was recalled two weeks ago, but in eight games since he has just one point. In need of further seasoning, the Predators have sent down the former minor league free agent. Not quite a rookie, the 32-year-old Pardy was signed last month to provide some veteran depth on the blue line for a Nashville squad that prides themselves off of solid defensive play. Pardy has skated in just one NHL game thus far in 2016-17, but will continue to be the next man up for the Predators. In a much-maligned move, the New Jersey Devils placed Boucher on waiver on December 3rd, and Nashville GM David Poile was happy to scoop him up. In and out of the Devils lineup for years, the team decided to move on from the 23-year-old despite the fact that 2015-16 was his first real NHL chance and he scored 19 points in 39 games. Boucher has played in just one game for Nashville so far as he deals with lingering injury concerns, but expect him back with the squad shortly.
- Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Vladimir Bobylyov has left the KHL and returned to the WHL, his junior team revealed. The 19-year-old winger, a fifth-round pick by the Leafs this past June, had originally decided to leave the Victoria Royals and return home to Russia to play pro. However, after little production with the KHL’s Spartak Moskva and even a demotion to their minor league affiliate, Bobylyov decided that he preferred Canadian juniors. He now heads back to Victoria, where he scored 67 points in 72 games and was an astounding +45 last season. Showing a commitment to North American hockey is never a bad idea for a young Russian player like Bobylyov, and the move is likely preferable for Toronto. The Royals are surely happy to have him back too.
- The Providence Journal’s Mark Divver reports that the time limit on the tryout agreements for Matt Bartkowski and Peter Mueller has run out, but that the Providence Bruins have extended contract offers to both and they are expected to accept. Mueller has been a top six forward for the AHL team, with 14 points in 19 games while playing key roles on both the power play and penalty kill. His presence has also helped with the development of youngsters Jake DeBrusk, Peter Cehlarik, and Danton Heinen. Bartkowski has been less impressive, with seven points, a -2 rating, and 23 penalty minutes. He has been outplayed by another veteran looking to stay relevant in Alex Grant, as well as rookie Matt Grzelcyk. The Providence Bruins are currently on a league-best 12-game point streak.