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Pacific Notes: Vegas’ Defense, Boeser, Kovalchuk, Luff, McLellan

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The Vegas Golden Knights have always followed a general philosophy when it comes to pairing up their defensemen. Head coach Gerard Gallant loves to pair a fast, quick-moving offensive defenseman with a bigger defensive counterpart. However, with Nate Schmidt missing the first 20 games of the season with a suspension, Gallant hasn’t had the opportunity to put together his perfect pairing, which included Schmidt matched up with Brayden McNabb, Shea Theodore with Deryk Engelland and Colin Miller paired with Nick Holden.

The Athletic’s Jesse Granger (subscription required) analyzes those new changes which has produced a 3-0 record since Gallant put those pairings together, including a 2-1 overtime win over Arizona and a pair of shutouts over Calgary and San Jose, Friday and Saturday. That’s just one goal allowed in 183 minutes. While it has been made clear that the team missed Schmidt, Vegas’ entire defense missed him as everyone had been shuffled out of alignment without the speedy blueliner. Without Schmidt, the team lacked a third offensive defenseman as the team had to pair Holden with Jonathon Merrill, which struggled throughout the first quarter of the season.

“It adjusted our defenseman because they all played different roles when Nate was out,” Gallant said. “So, everybody is in their spots now and playing pretty well and they are confident.”

  • Rick Dhailwal of Sportsnet reports that he’s heard from a source that Vancouver Canucks winger Brock Boeser is making good progress recovering from his groin injury. The 21-year-old has been out since Nov. 2. The scribe adds that Boeser is getting closer and should be back at some point next week. He has four goals and 11 points in 13 games so far this year.
  • One of the Los Angeles Kings struggles comes from the play of major off-season acquisition Ilya Kovalchuk who has failed to record a point in eight straight games, according to Curtis Zupke of the Los Angeles Times. The 35-year-old, who signed a three-year, $18.75MM contract this summer, has gone from the team’s top winger to a third-stringer and has dropped to the second unit of the power play. The team broke their 0-for-16 slump on the power play Saturday with Kovalchuk on the bench.
  • Fox Sports Jon Rosen writes that the Kings need to get more playing time to rookie Matt Luff, who has played well since being called up from the AHL. The 21-year-old has three goals in eight games after dominating in Ontario. Head coach Willie Desjardins re-teamed him with Carl Hagelin and Adrian Kempe, which found some success for the Kings. The scribe writes that Luff needs playing time and needs to start receiving power play time as well.
  • Rosen also adds that the Kings have no interest in bringing former Edmonton Oilers’ coach Todd McLellan aboard.

Canucks Winger Antoine Roussel Fined For Biting Incident

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Late in Friday’s game between Vancouver and San Jose, Canucks winger Antoine Roussel got involved in a scrum with Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic.  Near the end of it, Roussel appeared to bite Vlasic and the league has completed its review, announcing (Twitter link) that the winger has been fined $5K, the maximum allowable in the CBA.

Roussel is no stranger to supplementary discipline having had a pair of incidents back in the 2014-15 season, one that resulted in a fine for roughing while the other yielded a two-game suspension for an illegal cross-check.  However, despite his history, the league ruled that this particular incident didn’t reach the level of being worthy of a suspension.

This ruling is largely consistent with how they’ve viewed bites in recent years which have yielded either fines or have gone unpunished.  The last suspension handed out for a biting incident was handed out back in 2009 when Senators winger Jarkko Ruutu was given a two-game ban for a bite on Sabres winger Andrew Peters.

Sven Baertschi Skated Last Weekend But His Concussion Symptoms Returned

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Canucks winger Sven Baertschi attempted to skate last weekend for the first time since suffering a concussion back in October.  However, he told Marcel Perren of Swiss newspaper Blick that he had to stop after just 15 minutes due to a recurrence of symptoms.  With that in mind, he has been shut down once again and Baertschi indicated to Perren that there’s a chance that he does not return this season.  That would be a significant blow for Vancouver as the 26-year-old is an important part of their attack and was off to a solid start to his campaign with six points in ten games before being concussed.

Minor Transactions: 11/22/18

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Happy Thanksgiving to all our readers in the United States, who unfortunately will not have any hockey to watch tonight. The NHL has a rare day off with no games scheduled, which will give the entire league some time to readjust their rosters. As always, we’ll keep track of all those minor moves right here.

  • The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled Tyrell Goulbourne from the AHL, sending Nicolas Aube-Kubel back down in his place. Goulbourne has four points in ten games for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this season, adding 29 penalty minutes for good measure. Aube-Kubel meanwhile has played nine games for the Flyers without recording a point, meaning this could be a chance for him to get back on track offensively. The 22-year old forward has a huge offensive ceiling, but needs more consistent ice time to continue his development.
  • Jakub Zboril was reassigned to the AHL last night by the Boston Bruins, following the return of Kevan Miller to the lineup. That means Connor Clifton is safe for now as the team awaits the returns of Zdeno Chara, Brandon Carlo and Charlie McAvoy. Zboril is still in the long-term plans of the Bruins, but needs to see the ice on a regular basis and not sit in the press box for the NHL team.
  • Mario Kempe has been assigned to the AHL by the Arizona Coyotes, after the team activated Alex Goligoski and Jakob Chychrun for last night’s game. Kempe has suited up four times for the Coyotes this season but is still looking for his first point. That hasn’t been a problem in the minor leagues for the 30-year old forward, who has nine points in eight games for the Tucson Roadrunners.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have recalled Reid Boucher from the minor leagues, assigning Brendan Gaunce to Utica in the process. Boucher has been a part-time player his entire career, playing just 132 games across five NHL seasons. He came to the Canucks in 2016-17 and looked like he might have a chance to contribute on a more consistent basis, but has spent more time in the minor leagues than with the NHL club.
  • Taylor Fedun was acquired by the Dallas Stars earlier this month, and today he’ll get his first recall from the minor leagues. Fedun is on his way up to take the place of Ben Gleason, who has been reassigned to the AHL. The 30-year old Fedun played just seven games in the NHL last season and has 46 contests under his belt over a long professional career.
  • The Vegas Golden Knights have recalled Daniel Carr from Chicago of the AHL.  He’s taking the place of Tomas Hyka who was went down to make room for him.  Carr is the leading scorer in the minors with 22 points in 16 games and has had some success at the NHL level, collecting 16 points in 38 games with Montreal last year.  Meanwhile, Hyka has spent most of the season with Vegas, picking up a goal and three assists in 17 games.

Pittsburgh Penguins Showed Interest In Brandon Montour

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The Pittsburgh Penguins and Anaheim Ducks have made in-season trades in the past, most notably swapping Carl Hagelin for David Perron and Adam Clendening just a few months before the Penguins would go on to win the Stanley Cup. Hagelin was a huge part of that 2016 run, and Pittsburgh GM Jim Rutherford beat the rush at the trade deadline by acquiring him in mid-January. Well, now Rutherford has sent Hagelin packing and the Penguins are looking for more help to get them back into the playoff race, and he at least is looking west at an old trade partner. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet writes that Pittsburgh tried to get Brandon Montour out of Anaheim but the Ducks wouldn’t move the young defenseman. Friedman then speculates that perhaps Jakob Silfverberg could fit into the Penguins forward group, given they’ve been unable to find much help from the third and fourth lines this season.

Montour’s name has been thrown around plenty this season, with some also pondering whether he’d be a match for a potential William Nylander trade. It’s easy to see why teams—including the Ducks themselves—would covet him after recording a 32-point campaign in his first full NHL season. Montour is averaging nearly 22 minutes a game this season and has seen that ice time jump even further since Cam Fowler went down to injury. He played a career-high 29:36 in an overtime loss to the Maple Leafs last week and looks like a top-pairing option even at such a young age.

The Penguins meanwhile haven’t been able to keep the puck out of their own net this season, allowing the ninth-most even-strength goals in the league despite having only played 19 games. That’s resulted in a 7-8-4 record and a spot at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division standings. Jack Johnson hasn’t worked out as planned, and Justin Schultz is out long-term with a leg injury.

Silfverberg though presents a different way to improve the team, given that only six forwards on the team have at least 10 points this season. The 28-year old winger is a pending unrestricted free agent, and has shown an ability to be a consistent 20-goal, 40-point player in the past. That’s the kind of offensive help the Penguins could use, and something they were hoping to spark in newcomer Tanner Pearson.

Regardless of whether the Penguins actually have any interest in Silfverberg, it’s obvious that the team is still looking for ways to make their team better this season. Pittsburgh is still in win-now mode with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel all still producing at a high level, and have a known horse trader in Rutherford at the helm. It won’t be surprising to see them make another move long before the trade deadline talk heats up, and try to right this ship before it gets too far off course.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Snapshots: Outdoor Game, Penguins, Patrick

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The 2019 NHL Winter Classic is still more than a month away and the 2019 NHL Stadium Series game even further, but that hasn’t stopped discussions about where the league could turn next for an outdoor game. Today, BSN Denver’s Adrian Dater reports that the Colorado Avalanche are likely to be an outdoor game host “sooner rather than later.” In talking with deputy commissioner Bill Daly, Dater learned that the league is very interested in placing a game at the nearby Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, where Falcon Stadium normally plays host to the Air Force football team and a capacity crowd of close to 47,000. Given the success of the NHL’s last foray into an outdoor game in Colorado – the 2016 showdown at Coors Field in Denver – and their special interest in games played at American military institutions, such as last year’s game at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, not to mention the successful Division I hockey program at Air Force, the school seems like a great fit to host a gme.  For now though, the league remains focused on their next contest at a college football venue, when the Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks square off at Notre Dame on New Year’s Day.

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins hope that their team is in much better shape when they take part in their outdoor game later this season, a match-up with the rival Flyers at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on February 23rd. The team continues to struggle and, even after his acquisition of forward Tanner Pearson, GM Jim Rutherford remains open for business per numerous sources. However, the next move might not be just a simple one-for-one to land a role player. TSN’s Bob McKenzie raised the stakes on the latest “Insider Trading” segment, stating that “anything and everything is on the table” in Pittsburgh. McKenzie says that the Penguins’ list of untouchables is rather short – just Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. McKenzie believes that anyone else could be move, perhaps adding fuel to the fire of recent rumors that Phil Kessel, Derick Brassard, Olli Maatta, and Matt Murray are among the names that could be on the move if things don’t improve.
  • The Penguins did make a noteworthy move today, announcing that legendary executive Craig Patrick has re-joined the team as a pro scout. The 72-year-old Hall of Famer served as Pittsburgh’s GM for 17 years, from 1989 to 2006. Patrick was the architect of the 1991 and 1992 Stanley Cup-winning Penguins teams and much of the 2009 championship team and beyond were the products of Patrick’s regime, including Crosby and Malkin. Many will also recognize Patrick as an assistant coach to Herb Brooks on the famed “Miracle” 1980 U.S. Olympic team, while he also served as both coach and GM for the New York Rangers over a nine-year span in the 80’s. The extent of Patrick’s role is unclear, but particularly in the midst of a difficult season, this is a great hire by the Penguins if only for the wisdom and guidance of an experienced hockey guru.

Vancouver Canucks Recall Sam Gagner From Toronto Marlies

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The Vancouver Canucks announced that they have recalled center Sam Gagner from the Toronto Marlies of the AHL. The 29-year-old failed to earn a spot on the Canucks NHL roster out of training camp, but rather than bury him in Utica with their AHL team, the Canucks opted to loan him to the Marlies where he could be closer to his home in Toronto.

While a team that loans a player out has the right to recall them at any time, that’s a rare occurrence as it usually means the team intends to break it off with the player. Gagner signed a three-year, $9.45MM deal last summer, but struggled with Vancouver, finishing with just 10 goals and 31 points in 74 games and with a rebuild underway and a team loaded with a number of talented centers on the roster and in the AHL, the team opted to go a different direction.

Regardless, the recall also could have more to do with Gagner’s success with the Marlies as he has posted seven goals and 15 points in 15 AHL games and has proven to be a dynamic player as one of the Marlies’ top players. While the team does have a plethora of players on injured reserve at the moment, the team may also be recalling him to showcase him to other teams that may be looking for a bottom-six center. If the Canucks can unload Gagner’s contract at any point, that would free up more cap space in the future as he still has another year at $3.15MM.

Pacific Notes: Pavelski, Schmidt, Carlyle, Juolevi

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Joe Pavelski has seen a number of teammates play through their expiring contracts and not let it affect them. Joe Thornton has done it twice in the last two seasons, while Patrick Marleau did it recently as well, although he opted to find a new home.

Now the San Jose Sharks’ center is in the exact same situation, explains Kevin Kurz of The Athletic (subscription required). The 34-year-old Pavelski is in the final year of a five-year, $30MM contract and so far, there have been no talks of an extension with the long-time Sharks’ veteran. Just like Thornton and Marleau at the time, the lack of a deal isn’t affecting Pavelski’s play as he’s put up 11 goals so far this season, which is already half way to the 22 goals he scored last year.

“(Thornton and Marleau) handled it different times throughout their careers, and they’ve handled it well,’ Pavelski said earlier this week. “Obviously, you probably understand some of the things that they’ve gone through in the past a little bit better. But they’ve never taken away from the group. It’s never been a distraction. You just respect them as people for how they want to contribute to the group.”

  • The Vegas Golden Knights should get a defensive boost Sunday night when No. 1 defenseman Nate Schmidt returns to the team after sitting out with a 20-game suspension. However, Adam Hill of The Las Vegas Review-Journal writes that the return of Schmidt won’t be some magic elixir, however, for a struggling Vegas team that sits at 8-11-1 this season. However, Schmidt should help the team out in two key areas, offense and defense. “He’s one of our best players so he’s going to make a difference all over the ice — I hope,” head coach Gerard Gallant said. “Always a solid guy, moves the puck, skates well. You know what kind of player he is and he’s a big part of our group, so hopefully he’s going to make a big difference.”
  • With an 8-9-4 record, many people wouldn’t be surprised if the Anaheim Ducks chose to make a coaching change and move on from head coach Randy Carlyle. However, while that thought is apparent in the Ducks’ locker room, Carlyle isn’t worrying about his job. “We’re at the 20-game mark and we said that you do an evaluation of where you’re at with our group. We’ve been inconsistent and nobody’s going to be here waving the banners but we have some positives within that group too,” Carlyle said. “We have some players that have never played before now (and) have some NHL games and NHL experience. We’re not that far away from the pack. We’re still hanging around. The key is now is to stay with the pack until we can get our group playing at a higher level and having some personnel back that we can grow our group as a team. We haven’t created an identity for our hockey club yet, and that’s been the most frustrating part for us.”
  • Mike Halford of The Athletic (subscription required) looks at the play of defenseman Olli Juolevi, who has been putting up quite a few points in his first season with the Utica Comets of the AHL, and wonders when the Canucks may be ready to bring the prospect up to the NHL squad. So far, Juolevi has 13 points in 16 games and the Canucks, who lack any offensive weapons on defense, could really use one for a team that has fared quite well so far this season with a 10-9-2 record so far. However, defense is also an issue as the 20-year-old sports a minus-11. Utica assistant coach Gary Agnew admits that he needs time to develop his game still. “Certainly he’s not fully responsible for all those minuses, Agnew said. “But when there’s a little bit of a trend, there’s a trend. Obviously it’s a part of the game that we’re working hard with him at, and he’s very receptive to coaching. He’s eager to learn and he wants to be better. He’s doing all the things that you hope a high prospect does, in terms of his coachability.”

Pittsburgh, Los Angeles Could Make More Moves

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The Pittsburgh Penguins and Los Angeles Kings kicked off the winter trade season with a deal today that swapped Tanner Pearson for Carl Hagelin, but there’s no reason things will stop there. In today’s 31 Thoughts column by Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the venerable insider notes that more may be coming from both franchises.

On Pittsburgh, Friedman speculates about a potential “lateral” deal between the Penguins and Anaheim Ducks similar to the one they completed in 2016, which is how Hagelin arrived in the first place. Though he doesn’t go so far as to name players who might be involved in such a move, he notes that “the rumored names” were not swapped today in the deal with Los Angeles.

Interestingly, the next point Friedman makes is about how recent draft pick Calen Addison has generated plenty of interest from other teams. That obviously wouldn’t be a “change of scenery” deal given Addison’s youth and huge upside, but may indicate that teams are hoping that GM Jim Rutherford will be going all-in this season and dealing away some of his top prospects. Addison, an undersized but incredibly gifted right-shot defenseman, was selected 53rd in June, and is off to a great start with the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the WHL.

Los Angeles meanwhile is at the other end of the competitive spectrum this season, as they find themselves almost out of the playoff race already. With Jonathan Quick and Jack Campbell both going down to major knee injuries and the team already firing head coach John Stevens, it may be time to start selling off assets and retooling for next season. Friedman notes that the “list of players Los Angeles is willing to move is growing” though doesn’t give any specifics. The Fourth Period also reported today that the Kings are “exploring the market” on Tyler Toffoli, while Jake Muzzin has also been discussed with teams.

This trade talk surrounding the Kings comes on the same day that top prospect Gabe Vilardi has been cleared for full practice, as he works his way back from injury to try and really start his professional career. Vilardi, the 11th overall pick in 2017, hasn’t played at all this season because of his back injury, but according to Curtis Zupke of the Los Angeles Times will be evaluated again in a couple of weeks. The existence of prospects like Vilardi—who holds immense offensive potential—could make it even more appealing for the Kings to sell off some of their expiring or ineffective assets and start the process of a short rebuild. While the team is still committed with big contracts to the likes of Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty, they are currently sitting well behind the rest of the Pacific Division and last in the entire NHL with just a 5-11-1 record on the year.

Tanner Pearson Traded To Pittsburgh Penguins

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The Pittsburgh Penguins gave General Manager Jim Rutherford three more years under contract, and he immediately gave them a new player. The team has traded Carl Hagelin to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for forward Tanner Pearson. The Penguins have also retained 6.25% ($250K) on Hagelin’s contract, which makes the salary exchange a wash between the two sides for the remainder of this season.

Pearson, 26, is off to the worst start of his professional career and hasn’t scored a single goal in 17 games this season. That lack of offense has contributed to the Kings’ struggles in the early going, as the forward had previously been relied on as a key secondary scoring option. That’s what Pittsburgh hopes it is getting, as Pearson did score 24 goals as recently as 2016-17 and may be able to find that touch while playing alongside talented centers like Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin. There’s no indication where exactly he’ll fit into the lineup, but the Penguins have been trying just about every combination so far this season with little success to show for it.

Selected in the first round of the 2012 draft, it wasn’t always obvious he was going to have a professional career at all. Pearson was twice passed over entirely in the draft, his first year of eligibility coming before he even joined the Barrie Colts of the OHL. That all changed in 2012 when he starred for the Colts and worked his way onto the Canadian World Junior team, taking home a bronze medal but showing he could compete alongside other top prospects. An outstanding rookie season in the AHL earned him an NHL debut in the playoffs for the Kings, and in the 2014 playoffs he would be a huge component to the Kings’ Stanley Cup championship.

With two more years after this season on his current contract, Pearson isn’t just a rental for Pittsburgh this season. He’s an investment that could pay off or make the cap troubles for Rutherford and the Penguins front office even tougher. He carries a $3.75MM cap hit, and while it is offset for this season by dealing away Hagelin, the speedy Penguins winger is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year and was coming off the books. That benefit is exactly what the Kings were after as they look to restructure their salary system, which will have to accommodate Drew Doughty’s huge $88MM extension next season.

Salary freedom was the goal here for the Kings, but they do also get an experienced winger in return. Hagelin has 121 playoff games under his belt including lengthy runs with the New York Rangers and consecutive Stanley Cup championships with Pittsburgh. Though his scoring has dried up with just three points on the season, he does still bring an element of speed that was obviously missing from the Los Angeles forward group. An excellent penalty killer—though Pearson is also strong short-handed—Hagelin will likely be a desirable asset at the trade deadline if the Kings can’t turn things around over the next few months. The fact that his contract is just a little bit more palatable will only make him that much more interesting.

The Penguins and Kings both likely aren’t finished tweaking their rosters, but this is a good start for both teams without taking on much risk. Even if Pearson finds his scoring touch and becomes a useful player, the Kings didn’t have the money or desire to pay out his deal as they try to retool their roster. The Penguins meanwhile are taking on a bit of risk with the contract term, but are in pure win-now mode with the trio of Crosby, Malkin and Phil Kessel all heading into the latter part of their careers and need help right away. Hagelin wasn’t cutting it as part of their secondary scoring group, so they’ll give it a shot with the younger and more dynamic Pearson.

Darren Dreger of TSN was first to name Pearson as the acquisition.

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