Pittsburgh Penguins Center Search Continues
It’s no secret that the Pittsburgh Penguins have been looking for a third-line center to augment their forward group for some time. GM Jim Rutherford has been clear that there were options for him stretching back into the summer, but that he wasn’t ready to make the deal until the right “impact” player surfaced. The Penguins are righting the ship after a rough start to the season, but have been relying heavily on their top-six to provide much of the offense.
Now, in the latest version of “Insider Trading” on TSN, Darren Dreger connects the Penguins with much-maligned forward Alex Galchenyuk of the Montreal Canadiens. Dreger says that Galchenyuk’s name has “surfaced” though there is no clear report of any talks between the two clubs.
While the Montreal Canadiens continue to slump their way to a 1-5-1 record, bereft of any offensive threat, trading a talented forward like Galchenyuk may seem misguided. The problem is that though many have seen his offense in the past, none of it has appeared this season. Galchenyuk has just one goal—on the powerplay at that—and no assists this season through seven games, and has seen his ice time reduced to the lowest it has been in several years. At one point he was on the fourth line in Montreal, and he is clearly no longer a center in the eyes of head coach Claude Julien.
So the question is whether the Penguins believe that Galchenyuk could recover some of that lost offensive magic he showed in the 2015-16 season, when at the age of 21 he scored 30 goals and 56 points. Whether the team believes he is a true center is another story, as is his fit into their salary structure. This summer, Galchenyuk signed a three-year deal worth $4.9MM per season. The Penguins meanwhile have just under $2.2MM in cap space, though the longer they wait the less Galchenyuk would actually cost. Now that the season has started, every day that passes drops the prorated salary down another peg.
If a deal was to be made soon though, there would need to be salary going the other way. It would be interesting to see what Montreal would be after, as they would be able to find room for a defenseman or forward. In the meantime, Galchenyuk will have to try and get his game going on his own, and hopefully entice a buyer of some sort to come knocking at Montreal’s door.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Snapshots: Brodzinski, Eriksson, Hunwick
Jonny Brodzinski has been assigned to the Ontario Reign of the AHL, as the Los Angeles Kings continue to make tweaks to their NHL roster. The team had called up Justin Auger earlier today, and actually didn’t need to make a corresponding move after they’d placed Kyle Clifford on injured reserve.
Now, the team has just 22 players on the active roster and as Jon Rosen of LAKings Insider writes, Marian Gaborik still isn’t much closer to getting on the ice. Gaborik continues to try and work his way back from a knee injury but is still some time away.
- Loui Eriksson‘s diagnosis came down, and the Vancouver Canucks announced that he’ll be out four to six weeks with a knee sprain. This continues the rough Vancouver career for Eriksson, who has scored just 11 goals in 69 games for the team now since signing in the 2016 offseason. That’s a far cry from what the Canucks were expecting to get for the six-year, $36MM contract they handed him.
- Ian Cole will come off injured reserve for the Pittsburgh Penguins as Matt Hunwick goes onto it, switching roster spots and healthy statuses. Cole is back in the lineup tonight for the Penguins, who have rebounded from their dreadful 10-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks to push their record to 3-2-1. With Hunwick down, Cole will slide in beside Justin Schultz on the second pair while Olli Maatta and Chad Ruhwedel bring up the rear. With that, the team has also decided they no longer require the services of Chris Summers, who was assigned back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Summers never did get into a game with Pittsburgh, but will be handy depth for any other injuries.
Michael Chaput Recalled By Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks promised a recall from the AHL earlier today, and finally announced it would be Michael Chaput on his way up to join the NHL squad. Chaput is well known to Canucks fans after spending 68 games with the team last season. The Canucks are without Loui Eriksson for at least the first part of their current road trip after he suffered a knee injury this weekend and isn’t travelling with the team. They will have to complete a corresponding move, which will likely be placing Alexander Edler on injured reserve as he deals with an MCL sprain.
Vancouver will start a five-game road trip tomorrow against the Ottawa Senators, and are already stretched fairly thin at forward. Brandon Sutter missed today’s practice with an illness, and Brendan Gaunce is still on the IR with a shoulder injury. The team decided to go with Chaput instead of younger options like Nikolay Goldobin and Reid Boucher, likely because of the uncertain minutes available.
Chaput is not waivers-exempt, meaning he’ll have to clear to be sent back down. Boucher has the same problem but is likely more valuable to the Canucks, while Goldobin needs all the development time he can get as he looks to fulfill his impressive potential. The 25-year old Chaput has plenty of experience playing limited minutes in a bottom-six role, and could be moved in and out of the lineup throughout the trip.
Vancouver Canucks Sign Jonah Gadjovich To ELC
The Vancouver Canucks are still busy adding depth to their prospect pipeline, today announcing a three-year entry-level contract for Jonah Gadjovich. Gadjovich was selected in the second round this summer, 55th-overall and is back with the Owen Sound Attack, showing off his offensive skills once again.
When Aaron Ekblad was drafted in 2014, many analysts remarked how he was already physically mature enough to enter the NHL and play right away. The same could be said about Gadjovich, who often stands out as a “man playing against boys” in the CHL. The ability to use all of his 6’2″, 209-lbs frame led him to 46 goals last year, leading the powerhouse Attack. He’s off to a good start this year as well, with five goals and nine points in his first eight games.
Gadjovich compares his play style to David Backes, and the Canucks would be thrilled if he could find that level of success in the NHL. Though he’s not playing exclusively with top prospect and potential OHL scoring leader Nick Suzuki this year, he does have a good shot at the Canadian World Junior roster. He dressed as the 13th forward in the final game of the Summer Showcase, but that team has seemingly lost Pierre-Luc Dubois to the NHL (and perhaps Victor Mete and Samuel Girard as well). He’s a very interesting forward prospect to keep an eye on, especially during training camp next season.
Alex Edler Expected to Miss 4-6 Weeks
The Vancouver Canucks tweeted that head coach Travis Green announced defenseman Alexander Edler will miss four to six weeks with an MCL strain. He had suffered what then was referred to a “lower body injury” after Thursday’s game against the Winnipeg Jets when he attempted to hit Jets’ forward Mark Scheifele against the boards, but injured himself instead.
Edler is no stranger to injuries. He missed time in November of last season when he fractured his index finger and then missed more time when he fractured his leg in February. He only managed to get into 68 games last year and 52 games in 2015-16 due to a fractured fibula. The blueliner has only managed to play in a full 82-game season once in his career, back in 2011-12.
The 31-year-old defenseman has played in three games, picking up one assist so far this year. He was averaging more than 24 minutes of ice time in each of the first two games before getting injured in Thursday’s game.
Green also said that defenseman Derrick Pouliot will be making his Vancouver debut today to fill in for Edler. Pouliot, acquired at the beginning of the season from the Pittsburgh Penguins for Andrey Pedan and a fourth-round pick in the 2018 draft, has not played a game yet for Vancouver. The team decided to roll the dice with Pouliot when they traded for him as the former eighth overall pick in 2012 has potential, but hasn’t been able to carve out a regular role in the NHL yet. He had seven goals and 23 points in 46 games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins last year, while putting up no points in 11 games for Pittsburgh.
Jonathan Dahlen Expected To Join Brynas In December
- Last week, the Canucks announced that they would be loaning prospect Jonathan Dahlen to Sweden although they didn’t specify which team he’d be going to at the time. Although he is currently with Timra of the Allsvenskan (a lower level league) having signed there on Tuesday, Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province reports that Dahlen’s stay there will be short as he’s expected to join Brynas of the SHL in early December.
West Notes: Boeser, Clifford, Oesterle
Brock Boeser‘s wait is over. The young forward hadn’t gotten into a single game for the Vancouver Canucks this season, but his chance will come tonight when the team takes on the Winnipeg Jets. Expecting big things, Boeser was on many lists of Calder Trophy favorites this summer after his electrifying debut last year. The 20-year old came straight from the NCAA tournament to the NHL and scored four goals in the final nine games of the season.
The Canucks haven’t guaranteed anyone a spot on their team this year, and new coach Travis Green believes his players have to earn their way on. Still, it looks like Boeser will jump right onto a line with Bo Horvat and Sven Baertschi, a group that could all be key parts to the Canucks future. Alex Burmistrov, despite two pretty solid games, will come out of the lineup.
- Kyle Clifford sustained an upper-body injury against the Calgary Flames last night, and is now considered week-to-week according to Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider. Clifford had never shown much offensive ability but is still a big part of the Kings’ forward group, providing physicality and a knack for suppressing shot totals. It’s unclear how long he’ll be out, but the team could turn to Nic Dowd or Johnny Brodzinski, both of whom were scratched on Wednesday night.
- The Chicago Blackhawks have been one of the league’s best teams through the early going, but none of that is because of Jordan Oesterle. The 25-year old defenseman has yet to get into a game, and Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times believes his could be almost up. Lazerus quotes head coach Joel Quenneville, who admits that it’s been a long time without getting Oesterle on the ice. Oesterle was a Group VI free agent this summer, and decided to sign a two-year, one-way contract with the Blackhawks, sensing their lack of defensive options. Unfortunately for both sides, he’ll be exposed to waivers should the Blackhawks send him to the AHL, meaning he could have to pack up and head for a new city once again.
Boeser Expected To Make Season Debut On Thursday
Canucks rookie winger Brock Boeser appears likely to make his season debut on Thursday night after being a healthy scratch for the first two games of the season, notes Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province. The 20-year-old made an impact late last season after joining Vancouver after his college season ended, collecting four goals and an assist in just nine games. Even if Boeser fares well, it appears that he will be scratched with some regularity as head coach Travis Green suggested to Kuzma earlier this week that Boeser and fellow youngster Jake Virtanen may only play 50-60 games each in an effort to help them acclimate to the rigors of a full NHL schedule.
Pacific Notes: McDavid, Sutter, Boeser, Kempe
Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid rejected the idea outright. Without blinking, the young superstar made it very clear that scoring 100 goals is impossible. Just days ago, Jaromir Jagr predicted that McDavid could score 100 goals someday, but McDavid would have none of that., according to Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal.
“It’s not possible at all … no one’s ever done it,” said the 20-year-old McDavid, who scored 30 goals a year ago. “Not going to happen.”
The closest anyone has ever come was by Wayne Gretzky, who scored 92 goals in the 1981-82 season. Gretzky also had 87 goals in 1983-84. Alex Ovechkin, who has seven goals in the Capitals first two games might have a better shot at it than McDavid. However, the 32-year-old’s best season was 65 goals in 2007-08.
- In the same article, Matheson pointed out that McDavid played his first game without taking a faceoff in Saturday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks. The center yielded to linemate Leon Draisaitl, who is a better faceoff specialist, having won 49 percent of his faceoffs (out of 972 attempts) in the 2016-17 season, while McDavid won just 43 percent (806 attempts). “People know that I’m not that good on faceoffs,” McDavid said. “It’s one of the perks of having Leon on the line.”
- Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Sun writes that a lot of the credit that goes towards the Canucks 3-2 victory Saturday was the play of Brandon Sutter. The 28-year-old center and his line of Markus Granlund and Derek Dorsett shutdown McDavid, who didn’t register a point in the game and finished with a plus/minus of -1 in 24:38 of ice time.
- In the same article, Botchford writes that the public outcry that top prospect Brock Boeser was scratched due to the team focusing more on shutting down Edmonton’s offense. “I know it’s a hot topic,” Vancouver head coach Travis Green said. “He’s going to play. He’s going to get his chance. We set our lineup against a very strong Edmonton team. He’s not going to sit here for a month.”
- Curtis Zupke of the Los Angeles Times writes that Los Angeles Kings’ Adrian Kempe‘s role on the forward line is already beginning to diminish. The former 2014 first-round pick only played two shifts in the third period for the second straight game and it looks like Alex Iafallo has taken his place on the second line of the power play. Kempe has struggled to break through as a wing on the professional level. He scored 12 goals in 46 games for the Ontario Reign of the AHL last year and scored just two goals for the Kings in 25 games.
Benning Has Reached Out To Agents For All Pending Free Agents
In an appearance on Sportsnet 650 (audio link), Canucks president Trevor Linden acknowledged that GM Jim Benning has already been in contact with the agents for all of their pending free agents although the discussions were more of the preliminary variety. The Sedin twins highlight the list of looming UFAs while the likes of winger Sven Baertschi and defenseman Troy Stecher are among those that will be eligible for restricted free agency. Linden added that center Brendan Gaunce is expected to be cleared for contact next week and the team is hopeful that he could be ready to rejoin the team by the beginning of November.