Josh Archibald To Receive Hearing With Department Of Player Safety
The league’s Department of Player Safety has been awfully busy this season, and have more work to do today. Arizona Coyotes forward Josh Archibald will have a hearing about his illegal check to the head last night of Nashville Predators forward Ryan Hartman. Archibald was penalized on the play, in which it appeared as though he hit Hartman’s head directly.
The two-minute penalty that Archibald received was actually his first of the season, and though he’s not a player that shies away from contact he certainly isn’t a headhunter either. The 5’10” 176-lbs winger is just fighting to stay in the league after he was traded to Arizona last season and was given his first opportunity to suit up on a regular basis. In nine games this season he has zero points, and has posted very poor possession numbers.
That makes any suspension easier to take for the Coyotes, but tough for a player who has a tenuous grasp on the NHL. The 26-year old is in the second season of a two-year contract that carries a cap hit of $700K, and will be looking for a qualifying offer this summer as he becomes a restricted free agent for the final time—that is, if he gets into another 18 games and becomes ineligible for Group VI unrestricted free agency.
Coyotes Aiming To Be Proactive With Contract Extensions
The Coyotes have been particularly aggressive when it comes to handing out contract extensions in recent months. Since April, the team has handed out five, the most recent of which coming earlier this week with defenseman Jakob Chychrun who signed a six-year deal upon his return to the lineup. Speaking with reporters, including Matt Layman of Arizona Sports, GM John Chayka provided the rationale for this strategy:
“We’re getting some players in place now that we think are going to continue to develop and evolve and be elite players in the NHL. Now we can go about building out our roster. I think the easiest thing to do in this situation is to wait and play it out and see what happens, and then if a lot of these guys come along as we hope and expect, then ultimately the way the league’s structured, you have to start making some trade-offs.
“We want to try to avoid that scenario, especially with our key, core players moving forward in our mind. So trying to be proactive and trying to get ahead of that curve and if we can do that, accurately forecast, and hopefully we get some luck along the way, we can keep this group together for the long term.”
While Arizona has been a team that has typically been towards the bottom of the league in payroll spending (though not necessarily in terms of cap hit), that’s something that’s going to change in the very near future. With those recent extensions, they already have over $60MM in salary commitments (and over $67MM on the salary cap) committed to just 15 players. As a result, their player budget is going have to be higher than it has been in recent years.
In terms of players whose contracts are expiring this season, Chychrun was the last significant player they had to get locked up. Young wingers Brendan Perlini and Lawson Crouse are set to become restricted free agents in July but both players are likely to receive short-term bridge deals instead of a long-term pact.
Looking ahead one year, center Clayton Keller is atop the list of players that will be on expiring contracts. Given their recent approach, it’s fair to suggest that they’ll be very aggressive in pursuing a long-term extension with him which can be done as early as July 1, 2019. Center Alex Galchenyuk will also be eligible to sign an extension at that time in advance of his UFA eligibility the following summer.
New deals for those two will put even more money on the books so it’s understandable that Chayka is hoping to get some contracts done that will eventually prove to be below-market deals by their expiration and is willing to take some risk to do so. It’s clear that he believes that the core of this team is one that they can have long-term success with and if these extensions are any indication, the team is prepared to spend to keep it intact. In doing so, they won’t be near the bottom of the league in spending much longer.
Arizona Coyotes Sign Jakob Chychrun To Six-Year Extension
Young Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun is getting ready to make his season debut tonight against the Detroit Red Wings and when he hits the ice, he’ll do so with the confidence of a brand new contract. Chychrun has signed a six-year extension, as first reported by The Athletic’s Craig Morgan and later confirmed by the team. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman adds that the deal carries a $4.6MM cap hit, totaling $26.7MM over the six-year term.
The Coyotes’ willingness to commit this magnitude of years and dollars to a player that hasn’t played in an NHL game since April and has just 118 games under his belt speaks measures about what they see in him. Chychrun, 20, was the 16th overall pick in 2016, considered a steal by Arizona in the eyes of many. After a strong rookie campaign, Chychrun was limited to just 50 games last season by a nagging knee injury, the same ACL tear that has had him sidelined thus far in 2018-19. However, when healthy Chychrun has shown flashes of brilliance. A talented two-way defenseman, he has shown ample ability in all three zones with both a composed offensive game and gritty defensive game. Chychrun was able to earn over 20 minutes of ice time per game last year on a Coyotes team that featured established veteran defensemen like Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Alex Goligoski, Jason Demers, and Niklas Hjalmarsson. If health is not a continuing issue, Chychrun projects to be a top-four if not top-pair defender for Arizona.
Moving forward, the Coyotes have clearly designated Chychrun and Ekman-Larsson as the future of their blue line. Both are signed through 2024-25 with their recently-signed extensions – Ekman-Larsson inked his new deal this summer – at cap hits that could end up being well below their respective market values. Goligoski, Demers, and Hjalmarsson are all signed for two more years as well, giving Arizona a solid group for some time, with the likes of Pierre-Olivier Joseph and Filip Westerlund still on the way. The future is bright for the Coyotes defensively and they hope a healthy Chychrun can lead the charge.
Pacific Notes: Ducks, Quick, Chychrun
The Anaheim Ducks have dealt with more than their fair share of injuries over the past year or so. The team is still far from healthy, but finally full strength is within sight, particularly among their battered forward corps. The likes of Ryan Getzlaf, Ryan Kesler, and Patrick Eaves are healthy, and recent injuries like those to Jakob Silfverberg and Kalle Kossila have also run their course. Nick Ritchie and Ondrej Kase are on the mend and expected to be active sooner rather than later. Corey Perry (knee) and Carter Rowney (upper body) are still far from a return, but in terms of players the Ducks reasonably expected to be healthy, things are looking up. However, a full set of healthy forwards also brings with it some tough choices. While Anaheim has the flexibility to send the likes of Ben Street, Pontus Aberg, Sam Carrick, and Kiefer Sherwood – currently on the roster – to the AHL, they have to be concerned about whether there is enough ice time to go around for the more permanent pieces. Already, the team sent promising rookie Isac Lundestrom to the AHL today to bring up Kossila and fellow top prospects Sam Steel and Troy Terry are already down with the San Diego Gulls. As the team grows healthier, it it possible that they could explore returning rookie Max Comtois to his junior club, the QMJHL’s Drummondville Voltiguers. While Comtois has already played in ten games this season and tolled the first year of his contract, he cannot be sent to the AHL and could be better served getting guaranteed top-six minutes at the junior level than fighting for ice time with the Ducks. Comtois is currently sidelined, buying Anaheim some time on the decision, but with conceivably an upwards of 20 forwards expecting to see action in the NHL this season, eliminating even just one option by sending Comtois back to junior would help the Ducks with their impending roster crunch.
- The Los Angeles Kings took another hit in net today with the news that backup goaltender Jack Campbell will be out four to six weeks with a torn meniscus. The team is already without starter Jonathan Quick due to the same injury and are left to lean on veteran Peter Budaj and rookie Cal Petersen for the time being. Fortunately, GM Rob Blake did assure the media later on that Quick remains on track to return sometime around the end of the month, per beat writer Curtis Zupke. Quick underwent surgery on October 31st and was given a timeline of roughly a month to return. So long as his rehab continues to progress positively, Quick could potentially be ready to return by the Kings’ November 30th clash with the division rival Calgary Flames. Yet, even in that best-case scenario, Budaj and Petersen will still be on the hook for the nine games between now and then.
- In more immediate injury news, The Athletic’s Craig Morgan reports that Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun is “probable” to make his season debut on Tuesday night against the Detroit Red Wings. Chychrun has been sidelined since late last season with a torn ACL in his right knee. The first-round pick was establishing himself as a reliable top-four defender prior to his injury and his return should come with an automatic starting spot, likely bumping Ilya Lyubushkin down to the minors and Jordan Oesterle from his starting slot.
Antti Raanta Placed On Injured Reserve
Coming into the season, one of the trendy dark horse picks for the Vezina Trophy was Antti Raanta. The Arizona Coyotes goaltender had put together an incredible second half in the 2017-18 season to finish with a .930 save percentage, and statistics were being thrown around comparing him to some of the game’s best. Sure, he hadn’t proven it over a long period of time, but what’s fun about predictions if you don’t go out on a ledge?
Even the most ardent Raanta supporters though knew that he needed to stay healthy in order to achieve that success, something that he hadn’t been able to accomplish since being traded to the desert. The 29-year old played just 47 games for Arizona last season, a number that was sure to increase if he could stay off the trainer’s table and on the ice. That hasn’t happened so far, as Raanta missed a game after being pulled in warm-up earlier this year and has now been placed on injured reserve as he deals with his latest minor injury. The move was made last night according to Craig Morgan of The Athletic, and is retroactive to November 6th. That means Raanta is ineligible to play until November 13th, missing at least three games.
Being held out for a few days isn’t the end of the world, especially because the Coyotes do have a capable backup goaltender in Darcy Kuemper. Arizona though expects to compete for the playoffs this season, and to do that need their star goaltender in net more often than not. No matter how well Kuemper does in relief, Raanta is the biggest key to the season for the Coyotes and will have to be monitored even more closely for the rest of the season. Hunter Miska was recalled from the minor leagues under emergency conditions, but could now be changed to a regular call-up given Raanta’s injury designation.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Snapshots: Bouchard, Raanta, Schmidt
The London Knights have announced their new leadership group for the 2018-19 season now that several key players have returned, and Edmonton Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard has been given the captaincy once again. Bouchard played seven games for the Oilers before being sent back to junior for the rest of the year, and should immediately step into his role playing nearly 30 minutes a night for London. One of the most effective players in the OHL, Bouchard will also likely be a key member of the Canadian World Junior squad in the coming months.
Joining him with letters for the Knights are several other well known prospects, including Alex Formenton of the Ottawa Senators and Liam Foudy of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Formenton played nine games for the Senators this season and scored his first NHL goal, while Foudy was the 18th-overall pick in June after dominating the NHL Draft Combine. William Lochead and Cole Tymkin, both undrafted, will round out the group of alternates for the Knights this season.
- Antti Raanta will be out at least a few days with a lower-body injury for the Arizona Coyotes, meaning they were forced to recall Hunter Miska under emergency conditions. Craig Morgan of The Athletic adds that Raanta has subsequently been placed on IR and will be out until November 13th at the earliest. Miska will serve as the backup to Darcy Kuemper for tomorrow’s game in Philadelphia, but perhaps he will be forced into action before too long given the team has a back-to-back against Pittsburgh and Washington that are scheduled fewer than 24 hours apart.
- Though the Vegas Golden Knights will be without Erik Haula for at least a few games—and perhaps many more given the optics of last night’s injury—they welcomed back another familiar face to practice today. Nate Schmidt was back on the ice with the team, and can now take full part of practice as he waits out the last ten days of his PED suspension. November 18th is the first game action Schmidt is eligible for, when the Golden Knights head to Edmonton to take on Connor McDavid and the Oilers.
Pacific Notes: Tanev, Oates, Tippett
The Vancouver Canucks have exceeded expectations so far this season and are about to get even better. With 18 points in 15 games, the Canucks hold the second spot in the Pacific Division right now and are riding a three-game win streak. Yet, they have been without stalwart defenseman Chris Tanev for the past five games and have had to find ways to earn points without his assistance. That ends tonight, as CapFriendly reports that Tanev has been activated from the injured reserve and should be active against the Detroit Red Wings this evening. With Alexander Edler still sidelined, Tanev should step right back into Vancouver’s ice time leader role and will try to improve upon his three total points so far in the campaign. Tanev’s return should be a major boost for the Canucks, who despite their relative success, are still among the bottom third of the league in points against and could use some more stability on the back end, the hallmark of Tanev’s game. To make room for Tanev, CapFriendly additionally notes that young Jalen Chatfield has been returned to the AHL’s Utica Comets. Chatfield, 22, is in his second pro season out of the OHL, but has yet to make his NHL debut.
- Following the firing of John Stevens, hiring of Willie Desjardins, and other re-shuffling of the coaching staff, the Los Angeles Kings continue to make small changes to their operations. Today, GM Rob Blake came to terms on a consulting agreement with Hall of Fame player and former coach Adam Oates, the team announced. Oates, and his Oates Sports Group, currently provide skill evaluation and development services to individual players around the league and beyond. It will be business as usual for the company and their player clients, but now special services will be offered to the Kings. Los Angeles has dealt with speed and finesse issues for years now and this move signifies that they are willing to do whatever it takes to find the solution to those problems. They hope that Oates, who recorded 1420 points over his 19-year NHL career, can lend a major hand in the pursuit of a revamped offense under Desjardins.
- In his latest 31 Thoughts article, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman writes that Dave Tippett has been a hotly rumored name on the NHL coaching market for a while now, with Friedman sounding somewhat surprised that he was not named as the replacement in L.A. or Chicago. When last we heard from the former Dallas Stars and Arizona Coyotes head coach, he had taken an advisory role with the potential Seattle expansion team. When Friedman reached out to Tippett recently for comment on the job market, he confirmed that he was happy with his current role and staying in Seattle. If Tippett really has been approached with coaching offers and has declined in favor of the status quo, that says a lot about his anticipated job with the Seattle expansion team. Tippett seems confident with his current allegiances, indicating that he is likely in line to be the franchise’s first head coach or perhaps even general manager.
Minor Transactions: 11/06/18
The NHL saw a coaching shakeup this morning when Joel Quenneville was removed from his position with the Chicago Blackhawks, but will quickly move on to other things with nine games on the schedule. As teams prepare for their games, we’ll be right here keeping track of all the minor moves.
- Dakota Mermis has been recalled by the Arizona Coyotes, giving the team a full 23-man roster once again. Mermis, 24, played in nine games for the Coyotes last season and is off to a great start with five points in his first nine games for the Tucson Roadrunners. The Coyotes start a road trip on Thursday when they travel to Philadelphia.
- The Boston Bruins have returned both Anton Blidh and Jeremy Lauzon to the AHL, which could mean good news for some of their injured players. The Bruins are down to just 20 players on the active roster and don’t play until Thursday night, meaning there could be another recall if someone isn’t activated in the next day or so.
- Chase De Leo has been recalled by the Anaheim Ducks, prior to the team’s game tonight in Los Angeles. De Leo has five points in his first eight games in the minor leagues, and will try to fight for a spot in the NHL for the first time this year. The 23-year old forward has just two NHL games under his belt, both with the Winnipeg Jets.
- Christoffer Ehn has been recalled by the Detroit Red Wings, following the move to injured reserve for Jonathan Ericsson. Ehn played nine games with the Red Wings earlier this season, and has shown good ability in the minor leagues. A fourth-round pick from 2014, he’s been performing well this season, his first in North America.
- The Buffalo Sabres have assigned Sean Malone to the Rochester Americans, meaning he must be ready to start playing again. Malone suffered an injury early in training camp and had already been rehabbing in Rochester, but will now be able to suit up for game action.
Snapshots: Hurricanes, Nylander, Voynov, Global Series
The Carolina Hurricanes have three scouts in attendance tonight at the Dallas Stars-Toronto Maple Leafs game and, according to Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman, that is not just a fluke. Per Friedman, for the one team to have that many scouts in attendance on a night with 26 teams in action, there has to be a reason. Unless the Hurricanes and Stars have a deal on the table that no one has heard about quite yet, the implication would be that Carolina continues to be in hot pursuit of young forward William Nylander. Yet, Nylander is not in the Toronto lineup tonight, as he remains unsigned as a restricted free agent. Why then would the Hurricanes still be out scouting the Maple Leafs? Friedman suggests that a possible Nylander deal, which looks more and more realistic with each day, could be of a much greater magnitude than a one-for-one swap. While many have suggested that a relatively simple exchange centered around Nylander and ‘Canes defenseman Justin Faulk would make sense for both sides, it would seem to leave Toronto a little shortchanged. As such, if Carolina is watching other Maple Leafs, it would seem to indicate that the package from their side is quite larger than just one veteran defenseman. At the end of the day, there very well may never be a Nylander trade. However, the clues are building toward what could be a Toronto-Carolina blockbuster.
- The opposite of mysterious trade dealings? How about a team outright stating they have no interest in acquiring a player. That is what the Arizona Coyotes did today, with The Athletic’s Craig Morgan reporting that the team has absolutely no interest in adding free agent defenseman Slava Voynov. Voynov, 28, has been out of the NHL for four years, but today applied for reinstatement. An interested team would have to trade for his rights from the Los Angeles Kings, but dealing with a division rival is likely not what is holding the Coyotes back. Voynov’s troubled past would mean bad PR for any team he ends up with and Arizona is simply opting not to expose themselves to that onslaught. There will no doubt be interest in the talented blue liner, just not from the Coyotes.
- With NHL currently overseas as the Global Series takes place with games in Finland between the Winnipeg Jets and Florida Panthers, commissioner Gary Bettman took the opportunity to hint at what the future of the league’s action abroad could be. NHL.com’s Brian Compton writes that Bettman is currently working toward having preseason games in Germany and Switzerland again next year, while also planning for a season-opening series in Prague, Czech Republic and a later series in Stockholm, Sweden. He also states that the league has interest in returning to Finland in the near future as well. To date, the league has played 31 games overseas and has enjoyed success with growing the game on an international scale. The Global Series seems like a venture by the NHL with no shortage of opportunities and a excellent longevity.
Trade Rumors: Hurricanes, Hayes, Pearson
The Carolina Hurricanes have been one of the biggest early surprises of the 2018-19 season with a 6-3-1 record that trails only the powerhouse Pittsburgh Penguins in the Metropolitan Division. The team is in the top half of the league in goals for and against, led by top-ten NHL scorer Sebastian Aho and a top-six on defense that rivals anyone in the league. The Hurricanes are certainly not without flaws, special teams and goaltending to highlight a couple, but overall have been very impressive with one of the youngest rosters in the league. Yet, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun writes that new GM Don Waddell is “open for business”. Given the surplus of talented defenseman on the Carolina roster and in the system, Waddell simply has the luxury of fielding offers from D-needy teams and waiting for the right offer. Potentially on the block could be long-time ‘Cane Justin Faulk, young Brett Pesce, or reliable Trevor van Riemsdyk. Each of Carolina’s top-six defensemen is signed through at least next season, making these three righties attractive long-term additions. Teams in search of a younger asset could also take a look at AHLers Haydn Fleury or Roland McKeown, long considered by many to be players that should be playing regular minutes in the NHL. Garrioch notes that the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers are among the teams most desperate for help on the right side of the blue line and adds fuel to the fire by reporting that Toronto GM Kyle Dubas was in attendance at the ‘Canes last game. It has been rumored that Carolina could be the leading candidate to land disgruntled William Nylander, while Edmonton could be willing to part with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in the right deal. Waddell’s first trade, in which he acquired Micheal Ferland and Dougie Hamilton from the Calgary Flames, has worked out nicely thus far. Can he do it again?
- It comes as no surprise that New York Rangers center Kevin Hayes is drawing trade interest. Despite his insistence that he would like to remain in New York, the one-year extension he signed this off-season said otherwise. The rebuilding Rangers are likely to deal Hayes, one of many younger centers on the roster, before he has the chance to walk as a free agent. Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reports that many teams already have their eye on Hayes, implying that he may not last until the NHL Trade Deadline. Kypreos specifically names the Winnipeg Jets as a team in need of a center, after Paul Stastny‘s unexpected departure this summer has left them short-handed down the middle. However, the Jets are not alone in that predicament; after losing Riley Nash to free agency and a failed preseason competition for the spot, the Boston Bruins could very much use a rental player at third-line pivot, while the trades of three different centers away from the club this summer has left the Arizona Coyotes thin at the position. These are just three of what is likely to be a list of more than a dozen suitors for the Rangers to choose between. Hayes’ days are numbered in New York.
- One name that could be a sneaky candidate to be the first notable trade victim of the regular season is Los Angeles Kings forward Tanner Pearson. The Kings are floundering this season, holders of the worst record in the Western Conference, and Pearson has been part of the problem. The 26-year-old winger has just one point through ten games and has looked like a shell of himself. In Pearson’s defense, the Kings have also cut his ice time somewhat and relegated him to the fourth line for a while, but only as a result of his poor performance. Yet, Pearson has totaled 36 points or more in each of the past three year and is quietly a very strong two-way player. It would not be a shock to see Pearson right the ship with a change of scenery, but the Kings would have to ensure that they don’t sell too low on the well-rounded forward. Trade inquiries come with the territory of a basement record though and L.A., needing to shake things up, may soon be tempted to give Pearson away for the right price.