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Barrett Hayton To Undergo Hand Surgery, Coyotes Not Interested In Moving Gostisbehere

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Coyotes center Barrett Hayton is expected to undergo hand surgery that will keep him out for the next five to eight weeks, reports Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports (Twitter link).  It has been a disappointing season for the 21-year-old who has been given a much bigger role than he had under Rick Tocchet but it hasn’t materialized in more production as he has just two goals and four assists in 26 games despite playing over 16 minutes a night.  His entry-level deal expires this summer and being out for this long certainly won’t help him build any value for his next contract.

Elsewhere in the Western Conference:

  • Still with Arizona, Shayne Gostisbehere is a player whose fortunes have changed for the better since being dealt to the desert. After Philadelphia had to part with a pair of draft picks to get the Coyotes to take on the rest of his contract, the 28-year-old has picked up 23 points in 32 games to sit second on the team in scoring.  Despite that, GM Bill Armstrong indicated in an interview with Arizona Sports (audio link) that they’re not particularly anxious to move him even though they may be able to get some value for him.  Gostisbehere is signed through 2022-23 with a $4.5MM AAV.
  • The Wild may soon be getting some more bad news on the injury front as Michael Russo of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that defenseman Jonas Brodin’s upper-body injury is believed to be serious enough to be a long-term issue. He was injured while blocking a shot against Boston on Thursday and leads all Minnesota players in ice time at 23:35 per game.
  • Minnesota should get some good news soon when it comes to their ever-growing injury list, however, as Russo adds in a separate tweet that center Joel Eriksson Ek is ahead of schedule in his recovery from his upper-body injury and could return as soon as Friday. His IR placement earlier today was retroactive and he will still be eligible to play in that game.
  • Meanwhile, as part of a long list of players not playing tonight, the Wild revealed (Twitter link) that defenseman Alex Goligoski has been placed in COVID protocol. He joins Brandon Duhaime and Jordan Greenway as those currently unavailable and if his placement was for a confirmed positive test, he’ll be out for at least the next five days.
  • The Sharks announced (Twitter link) that they’ve added center Nick Bonino along with assistant coach John MacLean to the COVID protocol list. They join center Logan Couture and forward Lane Pederson as those that aren’t available for the time being.

Coyotes Receiving Trade Interest In Lawson Crouse

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While Coyotes winger Phil Kessel and defenseman Jakob Chychrun have been the players receiving most of the trade speculation lately, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli puts another name in the mix, reporting that several teams – including the Flyers – have shown interest in winger Lawson Crouse.

The 24-year-old is already in his sixth NHL season and up until this season, he had been more of a role player, providing plenty of energy and physicality but not much in the way of consistent production.  That has changed this season as head coach Andre Tourigny has given Crouse a much bigger role – he’s averaging over 18 minutes a night which is more than five minutes higher than his career ATOI heading into the season – and he has made the most of it, potting eight goals and eight assists, numbers that have him at a 20-goal and 40-point pace.

While it’s unlikely that Crouse would have that type of role on a playoff contender, he’d still fit in nicely on a third line for a lot of teams.  The postseason is when the physicality picks up and power forwards become even more important so Arizona could be well-positioned to maximize their return here.

Crouse is set to become a restricted free agent with salary arbitration rights this summer and has a qualifying offer that’s a bit higher than his current cap hit ($1.75MM versus a $1.533MM AAV) although teams shouldn’t have any concerns about tendering him.  Even though it’s his sixth NHL season, he still is two years away from being eligible for unrestricted free agency since his sophomore campaign saw him play just 11 games which is below the threshold of 40 to accrue a season of service time.

With only a handful of teams currently well out of the playoff picture, it could be a seller’s market as a result leading up to the March 21st trade deadline.  That’s great news for those selling teams like the Coyotes who, with Crouse, appear to now have another player generating a lot of interest.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Coyotes Notes: Beagle, Capobianco, Ladd, Moser

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The Arizona Coyotes have officially announced that Jay Beagle underwent successful core muscle surgery and will be out indefinitely. Yesterday, general manager Bill Armstrong indicated that the veteran forward could miss anywhere from eight weeks to the rest of the season, a disappointing result for someone just trying to stay active in the NHL.

Beagle, 36, has suited up 21 times for the Coyotes this season and has one goal. The four-year, $12MM contract he signed in 2018 with the Vancouver Canucks will expire at the end of this year, meaning if he does miss the rest of 2021-22 it could be the last we see of the undrafted forward in the NHL. If it is, he had quite the career, playing 634 regular season games to this point and winning the Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals in 2018.

  • The team also announced that Kyle Capobianco and assistant coach Mario Duhamel have entered the league’s COVID protocol. Capobianco, 24, has played in 15 games for the Coyotes this season and has five points. That takes his career totals to 29 games and six points, as he has received a rare opportunity during this Arizona rebuild to play at the NHL level more regularly. The third-round pick has spent the last several years in the minor leagues, putting up big point totals for the Tucson Roadrunners.
  • With Andrew Ladd still finding regular ice time with the Coyotes, it certainly appears as though the team may not get the extra 2023 third-round pick that was included in last summer’s trade from the New York Islanders. Remember, CapFriendly reported an update on the conditions a few days after the trade, indicating that if Ladd plays in just a single professional game (assumed to mean NHL or AHL) in 2022-23 while under his current contract or if he retires prior to the end of that season, the pick would not be sent to Arizona. That basically means it would only transfer if Ladd ends up on LTIR for the entire season, or the team finds out another way around the condition (it is not clear, for instance, whether a buyout of this deal would secure the pick for them, should Ladd decide not to retire).
  • Of course, that may not matter given how well the trade has paid off so far for the Coyotes. With the 2021 second-round pick they received in the deal, the team picked overaged defenseman Janis Moser, who has recently stepped into the NHL and made an impact as a 21-year-old. The Swiss defender has three points in his first five games while averaging close to 20 minutes and is one of just four players–and the only one from outside the first round–from the 2021 draft to play in the NHL so far.

Central Notes: Bjugstad, Olausson, Beagle

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There’s bad news coming on the injury front for the Minnesota Wild. Head coach Dean Evason said today that forward Nick Bjugstad will be out “for a while” with an upper-body injury. Things certainly haven’t gone smoothly for Bjugstad in his second season with the Wild. In 28 games, he has just five points, and his defensive game has slipped from last year as well. Bjugstad’s entire career has been marred by injuries, and it’s always tough to see when the Minnesota native experiences another setback. Hopefully, he can recover by the end of the season to help out the Wild on a playoff push.

More notes from the Central Division today:

  • There’s movement on the prospect front for the Colorado Avalanche, as 2021 first-round pick Oskar Olausson was moved in the OHL today, traded to the Oshawa Generals from the Barrie Colts. Olausson joins Bruins prospect Brett Harrison and Oilers prospect Ty Tullio in Oshawa, where they hope Olausson’s talent can add a punch to their team. Olausson had 25 points in 22 games with Barrie.
  • Arizona Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong said today that forward Jay Beagle had lower-body surgery and could miss anywhere between eight weeks and the rest of the season. While a defensive center first and foremost, Beagle had just one point in 21 games with Arizona. He’s in the final year of his contract with a $3MM cap hit.

Coyotes Seeking Eichel-Like Trade For Jakob Chychrun

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The Oilers have struggled considerably over the last several weeks, having lost 10 of their last 12 games which has led to some speculation as to whether or not head coach Dave Tippett is on the hot seat.  In the latest TSN Insider Trading segment (video link), TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that there are no plans for a coaching change in Edmonton unless things get considerably worse.  Speculatively, that would mean a continuation of their current struggles to the point where they fall well outside the playoff picture.  For the time being, they currently hold the final Wild Card spot in the West.

Dreger adds that the Oilers are looking to add a goaltender in the midst of Mike Smith’s injuries and Mikko Koskinen’s struggles as well as an upgrade at the third line center position.  However, they’re in a situation where they need to match money to make a deal happen which will complicate things.

More from the Western Conference:

  • Also from Dreger in that segment, the Coyotes are believed to be seeking an ‘Eichel-like’ return if they’re going to move defenseman Jakob Chychrun, an asking price that has scared at least some potential suitors away. The former Buffalo center yielded a first-round pick, a high-end prospect, a top-six winger, and a second-rounder and with the 23-year-old signed for just $4.6MM through 2024-25, he’s someone that many more teams will be able to afford which will allow Arizona to keep the price justifiably high.
  • The Golden Knights are considering the possibility of acquiring the rights to Ryan Kesler from the Ducks, notes David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period.  Kesler, who hasn’t played since 2019, carries a $6.875MM cap hit that is LTIR-eligible.  In theory, if Vegas moved out enough salary to bring Kesler in and remain in cap compliance with their current cap situation, he could then be added to their LTIR pool, enabling them to eventually activate Jack Eichel.  There’s precedent for teams acquiring injured players to boost their LTIR pool – Toronto (David Clarkson) and Tampa Bay (Brent Seabrook) – are recent examples and with Max Pacioretty and Alec Martinez both expected to return before the end of the regular season, Vegas may need to get creative to make the cap work when their players are healthy.

Coyotes-Stars Game Postponed

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With the Dallas Stars dealing with massive COVID absences, their game against the Arizona Coyotes on January 2 has been postponed. This is the 81st postponement of the season, with more likely coming because of attendance issues in Canada.

The Stars are currently missing Luke Glendening, Jamie Benn, Roope Hintz, Joel Kiviranta, Jason Robertson, Michael Raffl, Radek Faksa, Ryan Suter, Esa Lindell, Miro Heiskanen, and Jani Hakanpaa. Many of those players should be eligible to come out of the protocol in the coming days if they are asymptomatic or their symptoms have disappeared, though they will still need to provide a negative test result. With that anything but a guarantee, the game for this weekend has been postponed.

With other postponements already in the books, Dallas’ next game isn’t until January 6 against the Florida Panthers, a date that should give them a reasonable amount of time to get most players out of the protocol and up to speed. For Arizona, things will resume on January 4 against the Winnipeg Jets.

Coyotes Add Travis Boyd, Matias Maccelli To COVID Protocol

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The latest victims of the Coronavirus surge across the NHL come from the desert. Ahead of their Tuesday night game against the San Jose Sharks, the Arizona Coyotes have announced that forwards Travis Boyd and Matias Maccelli have in the NHL’s COVID-19 Protocol. The ’Yotes do not play again until January 2, so this could be the only missed game for the duo.

This news is still brutal for Maccelli though, who was set to make his NHL debut tonight. Arizona had expressed its excitement for the rookie forward to join the team just earlier this afternoon. Yet, in the current state of the NHL even the reinforcements are no safe bet to make it into the lineup. Maccelli has been a point-per-game player for the Tucson Roadrunners this season and was named the AHL Rookie of the Month for November, so it is understandable why the rebuilding Coyotes are eager to get the promising 21-year-old into some NHL action.

Boyd is quietly one of the Coyotes’ top players this season. Admittedly, the last-place squad is not scoring many goals, but Boyd is still second on the team with seven tallies as well as fourth in points and first with an unbelievable (though unsustainable) 29.2% shooting percentage. Arizona is fortunate that this is likely just a one-game absence, as they can ill-afford to lose Boyd for an extended period of time.

Arizona Coyotes Place Two In COVID Protocol

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Arizona Coyotes forward Christian Fischer and defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin entered the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol today, per a team tweet.

They become the fifth and sixth additions to Arizona’s COVID list. Liam O’Brien, Alex Galchenyuk, Jay Beagle, and Lawson Crouse.

Arizona, for the time being, is losing out on some solid defensive presences. Fischer had three goals and three assists through 22 games before entering protocol, and he’s one of the better defensive forwards on the Coyotes, though, and a skilled penalty killer. His presence there will be missed.

Lyubushkin had six assists through 29 games, and while he was averaging just 18:08 per game, he’s a good defender at even-strength.

Fischer and Lyubushkin, if they’re truly COVID positive, are eligible to return January 6 against Chicago if they’re healthy.

2022 WJC Participants By NHL Team

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The 2022 World Junior Championships will get underway from Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta on Sunday. As is the norm and to be expected from the top U-20 competition in the world, the World Junior tournament field is loaded with drafted NHL talent. While most nations don’t have the prospect depth to form a roster completely composed of NHL prospects and those that do have opted to include some younger, future draft picks, there are still a whopping 106 drafted players on WJC rosters. Nine of ten WJC have at least one current NHL prospect and six of those nine have at least ten draft picks. Those players come from 30 of the NHL’s 32 teams, with the Carolina Hurricanes leading the way with ten prospects. While enjoying the WJC action in the coming days, keep track of who may one day be playing at the highest level:

Anaheim Ducks (4):
F Mason McTavish, Canada
D Ian Moore, USA
F Sasha Pastujov, USA
D Olen Zellweger, Canada

Arizona Coyotes (1):
F Dylan Guenther, Canada

Boston Bruins (1):
F Fabian Lysell, Sweden

Buffalo Sabres (4):
F Jakub Konecny, Czechia
D Nikita Novikov, Russia
D Owen Power, Canada
F Isak Rosen, Sweden

Calgary Flames (1):
F Matt Coronato, USA

Carolina Hurricanes (10):
F Nikita Guslistov, Russia
D Aleski Heimosalmi, Finland
D Ville Koivunen, Finland
D Scott Morrow, USA
F Zion Nybeck, Sweden
D Joel Nystrom, Sweden
F Alexander Pashin, Russia
F Vasily Ponomarev, Russia
G Nikita Quapp, Germany
D Ronan Seeley, Canada

Chicago Blackhawks (4):
G Drew Commesso, USA
D Wyatt Kaiser, USA
D Michael Krutil, Czechia
F Landon Slaggert, USA

Colorado Avalanche (1):
F Oskar Olausson, Sweden

Columbus Blue Jackets (4):
F Kent Johnson, Canada
D Samuel Knazko, Slovakia
F Martin Rysavy, Czechia
D Stanislav Svozil, Czechia

Dallas Stars (4):
F Mavrik Bourque, Canada
F Daniel Ljungman, Sweden
F Logan Stankoven, Canada
F Albert Sjoberg, Sweden

Detroit Red Wings (8):
G Jan Bednar, Czechia
G Sebastian Cossa, Canada
D Simon Edvinsson, Sweden
F Carter Mazur, USA
F Theodor Niederbach, Sweden
F Redmond Savage, USA
D Donovan Sebrango, Canada
D Eemil Viro, Finland

Edmonton Oilers (2):
F Xavier Borgault, Canada
D Luca Munzenberger, Germany

Florida Panthers (5):
F Elliot Ekmark, Sweden
D Kasper Puutio, Finland
F Mackie Samoskevich, USA
F Ty Smilanic, USA
F Justin Sourdif, Canada

Los Angeles Kings (6):
F Martin Chromiak, Slovakia
D Brock Faber, USA
D Helge Grans, Sweden
F Samuel Helenius, Finland
D Kirill Kirsanov, Russia
F Kasper Simontaival, Finland

Minnesota Wild (6):
F Marat Khusnutdinov, Russia
D Carson Lambos, Canada
F Pavel Novak, Czechia
D Ryan O’Rourke, Canada
D Jack Peart, USA
G Jesper Wallstedt, Sweden

Montreal Canadiens (3):
D Kaiden Guhle, Canada
F Oliver Kapanen, Finland
F Jan Mysak, Czechia

Nashville Predators (4):
G Yaroslav Askarov, Russia
F Simon Knak, Switzerland*
D Anton Olsson, Sweden
F Fedor Svechkov, Russia

New Jersey Devils (4):
F Alexander Holtz, Sweden
D Luke Hughes, USA
G Jakub Malek, Czechia
D Shakir Mukhamadullin, Russia

New York Islanders (0)

New York Rangers (4):
F Brett Berard, USA
F William Cuylle, Canada
G Dylan Garand, Canada
F Kalle Vaisanen, Finland

Ottawa Senators (5):
F Ridly Greig, Canada
F Roby Jarventie, Finland
D Tyler Kleven, USA
G Leevi Merilainen, Finland
D Jake Sanderson, USA

Philadelphia Flyers (3):
D Emil Andrae, Sweden
F Elliot Desnoyers, Canada
D Brian Zanetti, Switzerland*

Pittsburgh Penguins (3):
G Joel Blomqvist, Finland
G Calle Clang, Sweden
F Kirill Tankov, Russia

St. Louis Blues (3):
F Tanner Dickinson, USA
D Leo Loof, Sweden
F Jake Neighbors, Canada

San Jose Sharks (1):
F William Eklund, Sweden

Seattle Kraken (2):
F Matthew Beniers, USA
D Ville Ottavainen, Finland

Tampa Bay Lightning (0)

Toronto Maple Leafs (3):
F Roni Hirvonen, Finland
F Matthew Knies, USA
D Topi Niemala, Finland

Vancouver Canucks (1):
F Dmitry Zlodeyev, Russia

Vegas Golden Knights (4):
F Jakub Brabenec, Czechia
D Lukas Cormier, Canada
F Jakub Demek, Slovakia
G Jesper Vikman, Sweden

Washington Capitals (1):
F Oskar Magnusson, Sweden

Winnipeg Jets (4):
F Nikita Chibrikov, Russia
F Chaz Lucius, USA
F Cole Perfetti, Canada
F Daniel Torgersson, Sweden

*Switzerland roster pending finalization on Sunday; team has been in COVID-19 quarantine since Thursday but will be ready to begin tournament and participate as schedule, the Swiss announced.

Snapshots: Eichel, Ducks, Chychrun, Everberg

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Though complete or accurate information is not always available, one of the best things about major trades can be comparing the actual exchange to the alleged offers made by those teams who could not complete the deal. The Jack Eichel trade was one of the more prolonged negotiations in recent memory resulting in a sizeable return for the Buffalo Sabres: Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, a first-round pick, and a second-round pick. While it is safe to assume that nearly every team in the NHL kicked the tires on Eichel at some point in time, the combination of the Sabres’ asking price, Eichel’s contract, and the conversation surrounding his neck injury and preferred treatment thinned the list of suitors considerably toward the end of the saga. However, one of the other teams believed to be in the mix right until the end were the Anaheim Ducks. So why didn’t they best the Vegas Golden Knights’ offer?

On Sportsnet’s “32 Thoughts” podcast, Elliotte Friedman spoke about what he heard was the Sabres’ asking price from the Ducks, and it explains why Anaheim didn’t pull the trigger. Friedman reports that Buffalo requested Trevor Zegras, Jamie Drysdale, and two first-rounders to part with Eichel. Go back three years and that’s equivalent to asking for four first-round picks, including two top-ten picks. Zegras and Drysdale are already so much more than that, too. The super-skilled center, 20, and slick defenseman, 19, are already key pieces of a resurgent Ducks team, who hope to build around the duo and keep them in Southern California for years to come. Even for a player of Eichel’s caliber, giving up Zegras – who could end up being a younger version of Eichel – and Drysdale, not to mention two more first-round picks, is just too much and not nearly equal to what Buffalo eventually got from Vegas. Friedman also adds that the Ducks’ doctors were never quite comfortable with Eichel’s requested disc replacement surgery, which was of course a lynchpin in any potential trade. It just wasn’t a match for the star center and Anaheim, though they could both be better off for it.

  • Jakob Chychrun’s trade availability still exists, for whatever reason, and Friedman reports that a number of teams are interested in the talented, young Coyotes defenseman, as they should be. He notes that teams are starting to get serious as Arizona has not backed off of their willingness to move the 2016 first-round pick. However, one team that has fallen out of the running are the Edmonton Oilers, even though Friedman and colleague Jeff Marek both feel that he would be a great fit. Defense is a long-term need for the Oilers, but Friedman went so far as to say that Chychrun definitively will not end up in Edmonton. It is unclear if the asking price or cap complications forced the team’s hand or if they merely soured on him amidst a down year. Other teams continue to circle as the ’Yotes dismal season wears on and Chychrun, forced into the No. 1 role on a blue line that was completely dismantled in the off-season, unsurprisingly struggles. Yet, the 23-year-old is just one season removed from recording 41 points in 56 games and is averaging almost 25 minutes per night, which are impressive enough to overcome his ugly -29 mark so far this year.
  • Dennis Everberg burned bright but fast in the NHL. The Swedish forward was just an undrafted kid when he joined the Colorado Avalanche in 2014-15, quickly earned a roster spot, and recorded 12 points in 55 games as an unheralded rookie. Yet, as loudly as he made his entrance, Everberg quietly made his exit. He was held scoreless in 15 games with the Avs in his sophomore campaign and, though he was stellar in the AHL, opted to return overseas following the season. Everberg made a short-lived comeback attempt in 2018-19 with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, but left the team after just 11 games. Now back in Sweden, the 29-year-old Everberg is one of the more consistent scorers in the SHL. With back-to-back 32-point seasons, Everberg is playing at the same pace this year with 19 points in 26 games. The two-way forward also carries a +36 rating in his SHL career. Rather than try again in North America or elsewhere in Europe, Everberg has realized that he has a good thing going with the league leaders, Rogle BK. The team has announced a five-year extension for Everberg, keeping him under contract through the 2026-27 season and into his mid thirties. This likely means that the capable forward will play out his days at home in Sweden.

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