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Loui Eriksson Out Rest Of Season With Fractured Rib

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The Vancouver Canucks season has been filled with injury to their star players, and today head coach Travis Green confirmed that Loui Eriksson will miss the remainder with a fractured rib. Eriksson last played on February 25th, but will be shut down for the Canucks final 18 games.

Eriksson’s tenure with the Canucks has been anything but what they expected when the team signed him to a six-year, $36MM contract in the summer of 2016. Coming off a 30-goal season with the Boston Bruins in 2015-16, Eriksson then scored just 11 goals and 24 points last season, a total he’ll come just shy of in 2017-18. This season has seen him suffer from several injuries, and he’ll end the year with just 10 goals and 23 points, his worst output since a 19-point rookie campaign in 2006-07.

With four more years and a $6MM cap hit, Eriksson’s contract is looking like one of the worst around the league. He’ll turn 33 before the beginning of next season, and now has just 47 points through 115 games with the Canucks. The three-time 70-point man has just looked out of sorts since joining Vancouver, and because of the front-loaded nature of his contract is almost buyout proof.

If the Canucks were to consider a buyout this summer, it would only save them $500K of cap space over the next three seasons, and $2.5MM in 2021-22. Add four additional years of a $500K cap charge, and it’s simply not worth it for the rebuilding club. Instead, they’ll hope he can find some of the success he had earlier in his career and bring it west with him when he returns for the 2018-19 season.

Kole Lind Signs Entry-Level Contract With Vancouver Canucks

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Like the Tampa Bay Lightning did earlier today, the Vancouver Canucks have turned their attention to entry-level deals for CHL players. This time, it’s Kole Lind, the Canucks’ second-round pick from 2017 that has inked his three-year entry-level contract. The deal will begin in 2018-19, and according to Rick Dhaliwal of News 1130, contains the maximum performance bonuses. GM Jim Benning shared his thoughts on Lind, who plays for the Kelowna Rockets in the WHL:

Kole has had an outstanding season in Kelowna despite missing games due to illness and injury. We’ve been impressed not only with his high-end offensive skill but also in the way he battles, sees the ice and makes plays in the defensive end. We’re excited for him to continue his development and provide further forward depth for our organization.

Lind, 19, is an excellent two-way forward who has put up 85 points in 51 games this season and could be in the Canucks future before long. Though he’s likely at least another year or two away from the NHL, his big shot and compete level give him an inside track on a top-six role down the road.

Along with Elias Pettersson, Jonah Gadjovich and Michael DiPietro, Lind is part of an incredibly talented crop for Vancouver from the 2017 draft. All four have a good chance to play in the NHL for a long time, and could be a huge part of the rebuild for the Canucks. For now, Lind will focus on taking the Rockets through the WHL playoffs and a potential Memorial Cup appearance.

Expansion Notes: Seattle Ownership, Bettman, Vancouver

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The NHL-to-Seattle movement is in full swing, and ESPN’s Emily Kaplan recently caught up with hopeful owners Jerry Bruckheimer, David Bonderman, and Tim Leiweke and talked about everything from the remodeling of KeyArena, to branding, to even acquiring an NBA franchise down the road. For now, the trio are just invested in being the ownership group of the league’s 32nd team (literally, as they paid a $10MM down payment along with their application paperwork earlier in the month). The next step is a season ticket drive, about which Bruckheimer told Kaplan “there’s a lot of momentum working in our direction”. Should the ticket drive prove successful, the NHL is likely to accept the bid and begin planning the next stage of NHL expansion. That would of course include another Expansion Draft. The Seattle ownership group has to be hopeful after seeing the success of the Vegas Golden Knights this season, and Bonderman told Kaplan “The commissioner has been consistent in saying it’s the same kind of process and procedures that they used in Vegas, and we’re going to hold them to that”.

  • Well, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman spoke about that exact topic today, telling TSN’s Farhan Lalji that the process would be exactly the same for Seattle as it was for Vegas. The expansion process was unlike any seen in professional sports before, allowing the existing NHL teams to only protect a maximum of 11 players from their roster. While first- and second-year players were exempt, Vegas GM George McPhee still had several valuable players to pick as well as several vulnerable teams to manipulate. The resulting roster did not blow anyone away, but proved to be the perfect fit for head coach Gerard Gallant’s system and the Knights are now contenders in their inaugural season. The Seattle ownership group is a ways away from naming a GM or coach, but they’ll have to make strong selections if they wish to maximize the entry draft process like Bill Foley and the Golden Knights did.
  • The other decision that may still be a ways away but will nonetheless draw major attention and speculation is the team name. The name, logo, and colors of any sports team is a huge factor and the reveal of the Golden Knights was a major, televised event. So when is the earliest we could find out the Seattle moniker and see some colors and logos? How about the 2019 NHL Draft? The league announced today that the Vancouver Canucks will host the draft in 2019. What better time to reveal the first details about Seattle than at a key league event hosted by the team that will eventually be their natural geographic rival to kick off the league year prior to their planned induction ahead of the 2020-21 season. It hardly seems like a coincidence that Vancouver was chosen to host this specific draft, the last in which they will be the only NHL team from the Pacific Northwest. Bettman and company are thinking ahead. Stay tuned.

Injury Notes: Penguins, Blue Jackets, Bruins

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The Pittsburgh Penguins could be without rookie forward Zach Aston-Reese long-term. Actually, head coach Mike Sullivan described the injury as “longer-term”, though he refrained from putting any specific timeline on his return. He did say that Aston-Reese suffered an upper-body injury in practice, which is why he missed last night’s game, a 3-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils, and will presumably miss many more. While the Penguins made a splash with their acquisition of center Derick Brassard at the trade deadline, Aston-Reese has been a point-per-game player since being recalled to Pittsburgh, spending ample time beside Sidney Crosby. Fortunately for the two-time defending Cup champs, they are also deep at wing and should have no trouble making up for the loss of Aston-Reese in their top-nine.

  • While the Penguins lose a man to injury, the rival Blue Jackets add one. Columbus announced today that captain Nick Foligno has been activated from injured reserve. Foligno missed more than a week with a lower body injury suffered against the Penguins back on the 18th. However, he’s returning to the lineup sooner than expected. The Blue Jackets are thankful for Foligno’s quick bounce back; not only are they looking to solidify their playoff position, but they also lost forward Josh Anderson to long-term injury recently. Fortunately, Foligno’s return and the additions of Thomas Vanek and Mark Letestu at the trade deadline make for a timely situation to replace Anderson.
  • Speaking of trade deadline injury replacements, the Bruins could not be happier with how their additions played in the absence of Patrice Bergeron last night. When a player of Bergeron’s caliber goes down, the team always suffers. Bergeron will be out at least two weeks with a fractured foot and it showed right away last night on the defensive side of the match-up, as Boston surrendered three easy first period goals to the Carolina Hurricanes. However, it was Rick Nash and Tommy Wingels leading the charge to a comeback victory. The pair of new Bruins combined for two goals and an assist in 32 minutes of ice time as Boston won 4-3.

Vancouver Officially Announces 2019 NHL Entry Draft

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After being rumored for the last week, the Vancouver Canucks made it official today and announced that they will be hosting the NHL Entry Draft on June 21-22, 2019. In the announcement, that was rejoiced by media members across the continent—Vancouver is a beloved city for visitors—NHL commissioner Gary Bettman explained why the NHL is heading west next year:

Returning the Draft to Vancouver allows the entire NHL family to meaningfully participate in a highlight of the Canucks’ 50-year anniversary celebration. The 2019 NHL Draft will provide another memorable moment for the Canucks and their fans while shining the spotlight on one of the world’s most scenic cities and serving as the starting point for so many NHL careers.

The Canucks have been part of the league since 1970, and have previously hosted the draft on two occasions. 1990, when a talented and feisty kid from the OHL named Owen Nolan was selected first-overall by the Quebec Nordiques, and 2006, when the St. Louis Blues decided to take big American defenseman Erik Johnson over several high-profile centers.

The 2019 draft is shaping up to be an excellent group, with Jack Hughes trying to fend off players like Bowen Byram and Dylan Cozens for the top spot. Vancouver, who are in the midst of a rebuild, could have another shot at the draft lottery next season, which would make the draft even more exciting for the Canucks and their fans.

Vancouver Canucks Sign Alex Biega To Two-Year Extension

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The Vancouver Canucks didn’t move any of their top defensemen (sorry, Philip Holm) at the trade deadline, instead actually handing out an extension to Erik Gudbranson to keep him off the open market this summer. They’ve now done the same thing for one of their lesser-known commodities, as the team announced a two-year extension for Alex Biega that carries an annual average value of $825K.

Originally selected by the Buffalo Sabres in 2006, Biega would play four years at Harvard before starting his professional career in the AHL. After a few years in the Buffalo system without a chance at the NHL, he became a Group VI free agent and signed with Vancouver. Now with 125 NHL games under his system, he’s become a solid part-time player for the Canucks capable of logging minutes on the bottom pairing.

With extensions for Gudbranson and Biega, the Canucks would have six NHL defensemen already under contract for the 2018-19 season, with Derrick Pouliot and Troy Stecher looking for new contracts as restricted free agents. With many hoping that top prospect Olli Juolevi will also make the jump to the NHL next season, it could lead to an interesting offseason of trade talk surrounding the Canucks’ blue line. Chris Tanev and Alexander Edler are usually the focus of that speculation, though Ben Hutton has also drawn interest from around the league this season.

Biega, 29, is currently earning just $750K for the Canucks, and with just 31 games under his belt wasn’t able to negotiate much more than that. Vancouver has a fair amount of cap space with Henrik and Daniel Sedin’s contracts expiring, but could have a lot of money sunk into their defense corps if Pouliot and Stecher get long-term deals. It could force their hand in terms of a trade, which could make draft day extra intriguing for Canucks fans.

Rick Dhaliwal of News 1130 was first to report that the team is close to an extension.

West Notes: Vancouver, Brodeur, Vegas

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After originally leaking out last week, news is set to come down tomorrow about the host city for the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. That would be Vancouver, if today’s additional report by Sportsnet is to be believed. It will be the third time Vancouver will play host to the league, after first holding the event in 1990.

Jack Hughes, and American-born center who grew up in Toronto, is the early favorite to go first-overall after finding incredible success this season with the US Development Program. Hughes is just 16 at the moment, but scored 159 points in 80 games last season in his final year of midget, and has 128 in 67 games at various development levels this year.

  • A familiar NHL name will be suiting up for the San Jose Barracuda in the coming days, as Jeremy Brodeur has signed a PTO with the club. Brodeur has been playing for the Allen Americans of the ECHL, where he has a .919 save percentage through 35 games. The son of Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur, and grandson of Olympic medalist Denis Brodeur, the 21-year old has quite the family history of goaltending to live up to.
  • The Vegas Golden Knights were probably the closest team to acquiring Erik Karlsson at the trade deadline, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required). The Detroit Red Wings were sitting around waiting to see whether their deal for Tomas Tatar would go through, while the Golden Knights dealt with another “major transaction” until close to the deadline. Vegas was willing to take on Bobby Ryan’s massive contract, which could play in their favor in the summer months if Karlsson’s name is brought up once again.

Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Patric Hornqvist To Five-Year Extension

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Tuesday: The deal is official, Hornqvist will be under contract through the 2022-23 season.

Monday: While meeting with media to discuss his team’s trade deadline, Pittsburgh Penguins’ GM Jim Rutherford revealed another detail that will make a lot of fans happy. The team is closing in on a contract extension with pending unrestricted free agent Patric Hornqvist. He believes the deal will be finalized tomorrow. According to several reports including Bob McKenzie of TSN, the deal is expected to be for five years, with an average annual value of $5.3MM.

Hornqvist has been a major contributor to the Penguins success over the last few years, since coming over from the Nashville Predators for James Neal back in 2014. Although he is 31, Hornqvist has cracked 50 points in three of his last four seasons and shows no signs of slowing down. A dominant net front presence who has shown great chemistry with Pittsburgh’s superstar forwards, Hornqvist’s extension may look excessive to some, but is a good fit for Pittsburgh for now.

Hornqvist in having a bit of a down season, but he has always shown up in a major way for the Penguins come postseason time. The security of a new deal may be exactly what Hornqvist’s needs to get back on track down the stretch and ready to help Pittsburgh battle for a third straight Stanley Cup title.

Trade Deadline Recap: Western Conference

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After a month of lead up, a sprinkling of trades over the last week or so, and a wild deadline day today, NHL teams are done with transactions for the 2017-18 NHL season. Here are the deals that improved contenders in the Western Conference:

Deadline Day

Winnipeg Jets receive:
F Paul Stastny

St. Louis Blues receive:
F Erik Foley
2018 first-round pick
Conditional 2020 fourth-round pick

 

Vegas Golden Knights receive:
F Tomas Tatar

Detroit Red Wings receive:
2018 first-round pick
2019 second-round pick
2021 third-round pick

 

Nashville Predators receive:
F Ryan Hartman
2018 fifth-round pick

Chicago Blackhawks receive:
F Victor Ejdsell
2018 first-round pick
2018 fourth-round pick

 

San Jose Sharks receive:
F Evander Kane

Buffalo Sabres receive:
F Danny O’Regan
Conditional 2019 first-round pick
Conditional 2020 fourth-round pick

 

Anaheim Ducks receive:
F Jason Chimera

New York Islanders receive:
F Chris Wagner

 

Vegas Golden Knights receive:
D Philip Holm

Vancouver Canucks receive:
F Brendan Leipsic

 

Winnipeg Jets receive:
D Joe Morrow

Montreal Canadiens receive:
2018 fourth-round pick

 

Calgary Flames receive:
F Nick Shore

Ottawa Senators receive:
2019 seventh-round pick

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Trade Deadline Recap: Eastern Conference

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After a month of lead up, a sprinkling of trades over the last week or so, and a wild deadline day today, NHL teams are done with transactions for the 2017-18 NHL season. Here are the deals that improved contenders in the Eastern Conference:

Deadline Day

Tampa Bay Lightning receive:
D Ryan McDonagh
F J.T. Miller

New York Rangers receive:
F Vladislav Namestnikov
F Brett Howden
D Libor Hajek
2018 first-round pick
Conditional 2019 second-round pick

 

Columbus Blue Jackets receive:
F Thomas Vanek

Vancouver Canucks receive:
F Tyler Motte
F Jussi Jokinen

 

Columbus Blue Jackets receive:
D Ian Cole

Ottawa Senators receive:
F Nick Moutrey
2020 third-round pick

 

New Jersey Devils receive:
F Patrick Maroon

Edmonton Oilers receive:
F J.D. Dudek
2019 third-round pick

 

New York Islanders receive:
F Chris Wagner

Anaheim Ducks receive:
F Jason Chimera

 

Boston Bruins receive:
F Tommy Wingels

Chicago Blackhawks receive:
Conditional 2019 fifth-round pick

 

Pittsburgh Penguins receive:
F Josh Jooris

Carolina Hurricanes receive:
F Greg McKegg

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