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Atlantic Notes: Tallon’s Status In Florida, Ken Holland

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8:36 pm: Harvey Fialkov reports that Panthers CEO Matt Caldwell reached out to him to say that nothing has changed in the managerial hierarchy involving Tallon. In a series of tweets, Caldwell indicates that Viola never met with Tallon to hand over personnel reins while also indicating that group discussions among the ownership group determines decision making. Further, Fialkov tweets  that the latest chapter in the ongoing saga of Panthers hockey is too much “he said, she said” talk that is too tough to prove.

7:54 pm: Out with the old, in with the–old? Darren Dreger tweets that Dale Tallon will assume control during a time for the Panthers that has been turbulent. Dreger adds a series of tweets on Tallon’s updated status with the Panthers. Tallon will take over day to day operations and bring stability to an organization that has had a tough few weeks–and season. Elliotte Friedman adds that Florida owner Vinny Viola said that “nothing has changed” regarding Tallon’s status as having the “final say” in personnel decisions. Friedman is baffled by this, wondering why a report would even be made if nothing changed. In the official release of Tallon’s promotion back in May, the Panthers indicated that “Tallon will continue to oversee all aspects of hockey operations in this role including scouting, player acquisition and development.” Technically speaking, Tallon was still in charge of overseeing all aspects of hockey.

Dreger tweets that Tallon will not oversee an overhaul but will want to reevaluate things. He adds that the firing of Gerard Gallant was a poor choice, and that decisions needs to be made with one voice in charge. Further, Dreger tweets that the players trust Tallon and that the move will add some much needed stability to the team. Finally, he tweets that Tallon will not ignore analytics. Instead, he’s looking to improve team defense and make them tougher to play against.

The Panthers have been in flux this season and after firing Gallant in a move widely panned throughout the league, there’s been little improvement with general manager and now head coach Tom Rowe guiding the ship. The move to place Tallon in a position to have more say is one that certainly helps the Panthers’ chances.

Regardless of how it’s explained, it’s been a strange chapter of hockey in Miami.

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Anders Lindback Signs In Sweden

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Swedish goaltender Anders Lindback is headed home. After months spent hoping an NHL opportunity would arise, Lindback has finally made the decision to go overseas to continue his hockey career. Over the past few weeks, rumors and speculation have predicted the move, but today Lindback officially signed with Rogle BK of the Swedish Hockey League, the top pro league in Sweden.

Originally drafted by the Nashville Predators, a steal by GM David Poile in the seventh round of the 2008 NHL Draft, Lindback made a name for himself as the sturdy, young backup to Pekka Rinne. One of the larger goalies in the NHL at 6’6″, 200 lbs., teams saw the youthful Lindback as a bona-fide future starter. However, it didn’t play out that way. Lindback signed on to be the starter for the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2012, but that never came to fruition. Lindback’s performance was lacking, and he ended up splitting time with Mathieu Garon in 2012-13, before being supplanted by Ben Bishop in 2013-14. After back-to-back seasons with a 2.90 GAA and more losses than wins, Lindback left Tampa having missed his opportunity. Lindback joined the Dallas Stars for 2014-15, but was traded mid-season for fellow disappointment Jhonas Enroth. He played the best hockey of his NHL career in 16 appearances for the Sabres, but it still wasn’t enough to earn him a starter role. Last season, Lindback played in 19 games for the Arizona Coyotes and had a career-worst .894 SV% and 3.11 GAA. Unable to even find a guaranteed contract this summer, Lindback joined the New Jersey Devils on a tryout agreement in training camp, but did not make the team. He then signed another PTO, this time with the Los Angeles Kings, who had lost Jonathan Quick and Jeff Zatkoff. However, the Kings decided to stick with their emergency backup duo of Peter Budaj and Jack Campbell, sending Lindback to the AHL’s Ontario Reign. Lindback left the team recently, signaling what very well could be the end of his pro career in North America at just age 28.

Ironically, Lindback’s new position with Rogle BK may include some adversity as well. Although he is likely to step in as the starter immediately, he will not be without competition. The team has two noteworthy young goalies, Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Oscar Dansk and Boston Bruins property Lars Volden, already on the roster. The 22-year-old Dansk, a 2012 second-round pick by Columbus, was drafted out of Sweden after dominating at the junior level in his home country. However, Dansk failed to live up to expectations, with moderate to below-average numbers in the OHL, AHL, and even ECHL, before returning to Sweden. Now in his second season with Rogle BK, Dansk continues to disappoint, posting a 2.85 GAA and .907 SV% in 20 games thus far.  Dansk’s backup, Volden, has never made the trip across the Atlantic to try his hand at North American hockey. Instead, the Bruins 2011 sixth-rounder has bounced around various leagues in Europe over his career and has been a member of the Norwegian national team as well. Volden finally settled in with Rogle BK a few years ago, but has not showed signs of improvement. Although his career stats are not as blemished as Dansk’s, he has not faced the same level of competition and has been wildly pedestrian. Volden has put up very similar numbers to Dansk the past two years, which is to say that he has not done enough to unseat the struggling starter. While the duo is consistent, they are consistently average which prompted the team to bring in the veteran Lindback for a boost.

Another interesting note on Rogle BK: playing in front of Lindback will be none other than top 2017 NHL Draft prospect Timothy Liljegren. Considered by many to be second only to Nolan Patrick in the upcoming entry draft and a foregone conclusion as the first defenseman off the board, Liljegren is a rare talent at just 17 years old. With a more experienced and reliable keeper in net now, Rogle BK can give Liljegren more ice time and more responsibility, which can only help the young blue liner’s draft stock.

 

Snapshots: Best Player, Lightning, Darling

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Who is the best player in the NHL right now? If you were to ask 100 people, in 100 different cities you might get 100 (okay, maybe you’d get five) different answers. The debate between Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid has been raging since the young Oiler hit the ice last season. Could he immediately take the mantle of the NHL’s top dog?

ESPN posed the question to several other players around the league, and it’s a resounding win for the old-timer. Here is a taste of some of the quotes:

Oh, Sidney Crosby. I’m a Sidney Crosby fan. He’s ultracompetitive. Great speed, great shot, great passer. — Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks

Sid is playing great, but man, Connor McDavid is good, oh my God. But I still think today. … I’ve got to say I still think Sid. It’s tough but I really do. — Zach Parise, Minnesota Wild

I think Sidney Crosby has established himself with what he’s doing right now. It’s amazing to see how he just does whatever he needs to do. — Shane Doan, Arizona Coyotes

While McDavid does get some love, the overwhelming sentiment seems to be that Crosby is still at the top of the NHL food chain. Perhaps in a year or two things will be different, but for now it’s still the soft spoken kid from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia.

  • In a piece for the Chicago Sun Times, Mark Lazerus profiles backup goaltender Scott Darling and the Blackhawks upcoming decision on whether they can afford to extend him in the summer. Darling will be an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career, and is showing that he may be ready to be a starter somewhere in the league. While even Darling says Chicago is “bar none, the best place to be” a backup, the intrigue of perhaps becoming “the guy” somewhere else is still there. With Corey Crawford entrenched as the starter in Chicago, and the team needing every penny it can save to re-sign sniper Artemi Panarin this summer, Darling’s time is likely running out.
  • Pierre LeBrun of ESPN caught up with Steve Yzerman for his latest piece, discussing the struggling Tampa Bay Lightning and what they may be after on the trade market. While Yzerman knows better than to say exactly what he wants, LeBrun opines that the team is after a top-four defenseman. It doesn’t seem like anything is imminent however, as Yzerman frustratingly tells LeBrun, “as I’ve said time and time again, I’ve got to find someone who’s willing to work with me.” For the Stamkos-less Lightning, it has been a struggle of late, losing seven of their last eight games with only a shootout victory over the Capitals during that stretch. At 30 points, they’re only four points behind Boston for a playoff spot, but also only two from last place in the division.

Max Domi Out Indefinitely

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The Arizona Coyotes announced today that Max Domi is out indefinitely after suffering a hand injury on December 8th. Domi had successful hand surgery today following his injury.

Domi suffered the injury while fighting Garnet Hathaway of the Calgary Flames on December 8th. Domi left that game and did not return. The sophomore forward is primarily a goal scorer but will not shy away from dropping the gloves if necessary—a trait likely inherited from his father Tie Domi.

Domi’s absence hurts the Coyotes. His 5G and 11A in 26 games is good for 2nd in team scoring on a team ranked 28th in goals for. This is another blow for a Coyotes team that was looking to make a step forward with its youth and smart signings. Domi’s absence, however, provides an opportunity for fellow sophomore forward Anthony Duclair to turn around a terrible start and try to regain last year’s form.

Newly-acquired Peter Holland will also have an expanded opportunity to prove to his former team—the Toronto Maple Leafs—that they were wrong about his place in this league. Holland could not crack the Maple Leafs’ roster, and did not play until he was traded to Arizona for a conditional sixth round draft pick.

 

Comparative Standings: One Year Ago

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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.

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Pacific Division Notes: Noesen, Domi, Jooris, Gryba, Davidson

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Sometimes things just have a way of working out for the best. That turned out to be the case for the Anaheim Ducks back in the 2011 NHL draft. Curtis Zupke of the Los Angeles Times relays the story of Stefan Noesen, who was a first-round draft pick of the Ottawa Senators in 2011, but has spent the last five seasons working to establish himself as an NHL regular. During that span he has overcome two major leg injuries – torn knee ligaments in his first pro season and a lacerated Achilles the next year – and was part of a trade package Ottawa sent to Anaheim for Bobby Ryan. As Zupke notes, Noesen may not be a household name but he has an opportunity to win a job with the Ducks on the team’s fourth line.

Interestingly enough, the Ducks, who owned the 22nd choice in the 2011 draft were prepared to select Noesen but the Senators took the American winger one pick before Anaheim could pull the trigger. With their top option off the board the Ducks decided to move down the board, dealing the 22nd pick to Toronto for the 30th and 39th overall selections. The Leafs selected Tyler Biggs, who has yet to appear in the NHL and is currently playing for the Kalamazoo Wings of the ECHL. The Ducks, on the other hand, took forward Rickard Rakell at 30 and goaltender John Gibson at 39; two key contributors for Anaheim.

Meanwhile, the Ducks would get Noesen anyway when the winger was acquired from Ottawa along with Jakob Silfverberg and a first-round pick – the Ducks would choose Nick Ritchie with that selection – in exchange for Ryan.

Elsewhere in the Pacific Division:

  • Yesterday it was learned that the Arizona Coyotes had placed Max Domi on IR with what was believed to be a hand injury. Officially Domi was listed as week-to-week but Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reports (via video link) that the sophomore winger will have surgery on his injured hand and could miss as much as six weeks. When asked about the report, Coyotes GM John Chayka declined comment, according to Craig Morgan (Twitter link).
  • Earlier today it was announced that the Coyotes were awarded their waiver claim on Josh Jooris, formerly of the New York Rangers. In a corresponding transaction to clear a roster space, the club reassigned Tyler Gaudet to Tucson of the AHL (Twitter link). Gaudet has appeared in four games for the Coyotes this season and has just one assist while averaging nearly 13 minutes of ice time.
  • The Edmonton Oilers have been beset this season by injuries on their blue line but now it appears as if reinforcements may be on the way. The team tweeted today that injured defensemen Eric Gryba and Brandon Davidson could be back in the team’s lineup as soon as Tuesday. The possible return of Davidson has to be especially good news for the Oilers. The 25-year-old blue liner established himself as a steady presence on the team’s back end as a rookie last season.

Josh Jooris Claimed By Arizona

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Just two days after trading for Peter Holland, the Arizona Coyotes have made another cheap addition at center, claiming Josh Jooris on waivers from the New York Rangers, according to Chris Johnston.

The 26-year-old center has just two points (1-1-2) in 12 games with the Rangers this season. He signed a one-year contract worth $600K back in July after not receiving a qualifying offer from the Calgary Flames. Jooris was an undrafted free agent signing by the Flames back in 2013. He played two seasons at the NHL level, scoring 37 points in 119 games. Unfortunately for the Rangers, Jooris has been unable to find success in New York. He’s averaging less than 10 minutes per game in his last five appearances.

With the Coyotes missing Brad Richardson for the foreseeable future, and Martin Hanzal on the trade block, GM John Chayka will need Holland and Jooris to be solid NHLers as Dylan Strome and Christian Dvorak develop into dependable contributors.

Coyotes Place Max Domi On IR

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usatsi_9733523_168380616_lowresThe Arizona Coyotes have placed sophomore forward Max Domi on Injured Reserved, reported first by AZSports Craig Morgan. The move is retroactive to last Thursday when Domi exited the Coyotes game against the Flames after fighting Flames forward Garnet Hathaway.

The Coyotes called Domi week-to-week, and the earliest he can return is next Saturday against the Minnesota Wild. Domi will be missed—he’s second in team scoring with 5G and 11A. Domi is on pace to match last year’s surprising rookie production of 18G and 34A in 81 games. The team is 28th in scoring right now, and Domi’s absence will not help matters.

Domi’s injury gives struggling forward—and fellow sophomore prospect—Anthony Duclair an opportunity to turn his fate around. Duclair has struggled mightily this season with only 1G and 3A in 25 games. A midseason improvement could spark interest in the forward after rumors circulated that the Coyotes would entertain offers for the young forward.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Leafs Trade Peter Holland To Arizona

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3:10pm: Sarah McLellan of AZ Central Sports reports via Twitter that the Coyotes will send a sixth-round choice to Toronto should the team re-sign Holland or trade the six-year veteran pivot. Essentially this serves as a four month tryout with Holland given the chance to prove to Coyotes management he can be a useful contributor at the NHL level. Should the team decide to go in a different direction and assuming they are unable to move trade him, the Coyotes apparently will be out nothing but a minimal prorated payroll commitment, an amount around $800K.

1:27pm: The Maple Leafs have cleared up their situation with Peter Holland as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that they are dealing him to Arizona in exchange for a conditional draft pick.  Craig Morgan of AZ Sports confirmed (Twitter link) the trade with Coyotes GM John Chayka although the draft pick details are still unknown.

Holland has been away from the team since being told to stay home from Toronto’s road trip in late November.  He has played in just eight games so far this season, recording one assist while averaging 10:43 per game.

The 25 year old has been on the outs with the Leafs dating back to the offseason, where they placed him on waivers in advance of his salary arbitration hearing.  He wound up clearing and settled shortly thereafter on a one year, $1.3MM contract.  He will be a restricted free agent once again this offseason.

Holland was a first round pick of the Ducks (15th overall) back in 2009 but never really made a mark in Anaheim, playing in just 29 games over two seasons with the team before being dealt to Toronto.  In his career, he has played in 203 NHL games between Anaheim and the Maple Leafs, scoring 30 goals while adding 40 assists.

Holland should fill a bottom six role with the Coyotes and will likely take the place of Brad Richardson, who is out long-term with a broken tibia and fibula in his leg.

[Related: Coyotes Depth Chart]

Snapshots: Coyotes, Penguins, Sabres, Chara

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News and notes from around the NHL this evening:

  • The Arizona Coyotes will give Brendan Perlini his first NHL start tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets, reports Sarah McLellan of the AZCentral. The Coyotes selected Perlini 12th overall in the 2014 draft and the pick immediately paid dividends. Perlini is tearing up the AHL, scoring 11G and 5A in 16 games while tied for the league lead in goals. The Coyotes are struggling in the goal department—they are 28th in goals for—and hope that the young forward can spark the struggling offense.  To make room for Perlini both Anthony Duclair and Kevin Connauton are relegated to the pressbox.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins have scratched forwards Tom Kuhnhackl, Jake Guentzel, and defenseman Steven Oleksy, reports Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Kuhnhackl has struggled this season, scoring only 1G and 3A in 18 games for the Penguins. His ice-time has decreased considerably and this is his second scratch in two games. Jake Guentzel has missed the past two games as a healthy scratch, and the team has cooled on him considerably since his electric debut on November 21st. The rookie scored two goals in his NHL debut, but has only posted 1G and 1A since.
  • The Buffalo Sabres are getting creative on their backend during a long injury drought. The team has Erik Burgdoerfer making his NHL debut after 480 minor league games, and Brendan Guhle on an emergency recall, reports the NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti. Injuries are taking its toll on the basement-dwelling Sabres as they are missing Dmitry Kulikov (back), Zach Bogosian (knee), Josh Gorges (foot) and Taylor Fedun (shoulder).
  • Boston Bruins defenseman and captain Zdeno Chara returns to the team tonight after missing the last six games with a lower-body injury, reports Joe Haggerty of CSNNE. The Bruins went 3-2-1 without their veteran defenseman, and only surrendered 10 goals during that timeframe. There is worry within the fanbase that Chara is slowing down, and while he is still leading the team in playing time, that time is down almost three minutes from his 25+ minute average with Boston.

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