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Injury Notes: Hertl, Sharp, Bortuzzo

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Tomas Hertl has flown back to San Jose to undergo an MRI on his knee, according to Kevin Kurz of CSN. The Sharks forward injured himself in the second period last night, leaving the game and not returning. While the extent of the injury is unknown, “waiting for MRI results” has not been a nice feeling for fans around the league of late; both Steven Stamkos and Taylor Hall received terrible news following trips home for examination.

If Hertl is to miss any length of time, it would adversely affect a Sharks squad that is already having trouble scoring goals. With 39 goals scored, they rank ahead of only the Vancouver Canucks and Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference. While the team is still carrying a positive 9-8-0 record through the first 17 games, losing one of their top scoring threats would be devastating.

  • Patrick Sharp is set to make his return to the lineup Saturday night for the Dallas Stars. The veteran sniper has missed the last fourteen games with a concussion suffered on a hit from Brayden McNabb in October. The consistent scoring threat is coming off his eighth 20-goal season, and hoping to reach that mark again in what is a contract year for the 34-year old. Sharp is earning $5.9MM this season in the final year of a five-year, $29.5MM deal signed way back in 2011. Even at his advanced age he’s likely to be looking for a multi-year contract to end his career.
  • The Blues are starting to get healthier, as Robert Bortuzzo will be returning this weekend as well. The defenseman has missed the past ten games with a lower-body injury, though it’s not a guarantee that he’ll crack the lineup right away. As Ken Hitchcock points out “The one challenge for us is we’re carrying lefty-righty right now and it’s working, so that’s something we’ve got to think about also.”  With Alex Pietrangelo and Kevin Shattenkirk ahead of him, Bortuzzo would have to beat out Colton Parayko to skate on the right side, which is much easier said than done the way the 23-year old has established himself this season.

Vancouver No Longer Pursuing Evander Kane

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Well, so much for that homecoming. According to Bob McKenzie of TSN, the talks between the Vancouver Canucks and Buffalo Sabres on a possible Evander Kane deal are dead (for now). McKenzie does admit that there had been a dialogue, but how close the two teams got to a deal is still unclear.

Over the past few months, there have been on-again-off-again rumors surrounding a possible interest in bringing Evander Kane back to Vancouver, where he grew up and played his junior hockey. While his troubled history with the Sabres continued, many saw it as a possible fresh start for the power forward.

This deal has been rumored going back to the summer, but heated up in the last few days after McKenzie mentioned on Tuesday that the two had started discussing a possible trade again. Remember however, that it was also the Minnesota Wild who were talking to the Sabres about a possible deal earlier this month, and have not yet been ruled out.

If Kane is to move somewhere, it would be the second time a franchise has moved on from him after not being able to settle his off-ice activity. The Winnipeg Jets benched Kane, scratched him and asked him to quit social media amid a long-list of clashes between he and, well,  basically everyone else around him. It hasn’t stopped in Buffalo, as the troubled star has had multiple run-ins with the law and simply hasn’t been all that effective when he’s on the ice.

Whichever team does acquire him, if he truly is on the move, will have a project on their hands that at this point doesn’t seem fixable. How long will his off-ice antics be tolerated if he continues to struggle in uniform. Currently he has just one point in his first six games this season, after dealing with three cracked ribs early on.

Buffalo Sabres Send Baptiste, Rodrigues To Rochester

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Amid rumors that they may be talking to the Vancouver Canucks about Evander Kane, the Buffalo Sabres have made another, less impactful roster move. The team has sent Nick Baptiste and Evan Rodrigues down to the AHL today. The team will likely need to make two corresponding moves to fill out their roster, as their injured forwards are not expected to make a return this weekend.

Baptiste, the younger of the two, has played in twelve games with the Sabres this season, and has two goals despite playing under 10 minutes each night. The 21-year old has scored seven points in the six games he’s spent down in the AHL this season between call-ups, continuing on his strong rookie campaign last year. In 2013-14, Baptiste showed off his scoring ability in junior, potting 45 goals in 65 games. He hasn’t been able to replicate it since, though is still expected to be a part of the Sabres future.

An undrafted rookie, Rodrigues made his NHL debut last season with the Sabres and got into just two games this year before being sent back down. A standout at Boston University, the 23-year old is also off to a strong start with Rochester, scoring eight points in 13 games. An undersized winger, Rodrigues scored 61 points in his final season at BU (41 games) before bing signed to a two-year, entry-level deal in 2015.

Brad Richardson Undergoing Surgery

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The week of major injuries continues.

Arizona Coyotes forward Brad Richardson was stretchered off after suffering an ugly leg injury during Thursday night’s 3-2 OT loss in Vancouver.

After scoring the first goal of the game in the second period against the team he played two seasons for, Richardson took a hit from Nikita Tryamkin along the sidewall. His right leg buckled under him as the 6’7, 265 lbs Tryamkin fell on top of him. The medical staffs from both teams assisted Richardson as he was strapped into a stretcher.

The 31-year-old Richardson has a broken tibia and fibula, according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie. He’ll have surgery on his right leg on Friday morning. Coyotes GM John Chayka confirmed McKenzie’s report to Arizona Sports’ Craig Morgan. Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic reports that Richardson is currently stabilized at a Vancouver hospital. There is no timeline for Richardson’s recovery, according to Chayka.

The Coyotes had a 2-0 lead at that point, but the Canucks scored twice in the next six minutes to tie the game before winning it in overtime.

Richardson has been off to a good start this season, with nine points in 16 games so far this season. He’s coming off a career-high 31 points in 2015-16, his first season with the Coyotes. While there’s no timeline for Richardson’s return, it will clearly be a long-term injury. With Coyotes center and pending-UFA Martin Hanzal already on the trading block, Chayka will likely look to add some depth down the middle. Perhaps rookie Dylan Strome will get a bigger role after playing just seven games out of 16 and averaging only 13:41 per game.

Rangers Notes: Nieves, Buchnevich, Injuries

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It didn’t last long, but for Cristoval Nieves his first taste of the NHL was probably an exciting one. The hometown kid who was called up from the AHL on Monday was sent back to Hartford today, according to Steve Zipay of Newsday.  Nieves played on Tuesday because of a rash of injuries that hit the Rangers, getting just under 12 minutes of icetime in a 7-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks.

Nieves will head back down to the AHL where he has six points in thirteen games. The former second-round pick will try to make his way back to the big leagues now that he has a taste of NHL game action.

  • Pavel Buchnevich, one of the injured players who allowed for Nieves’ callup, will skate today according to Zipay but is still unlikely to play Friday against the Blue Jackets. The 21-year old has suffered from back spasms all year, only skating in 10 games thus far. Off to a blistering start in his rookie season, the Russian forward had already put up 8 points this season.
  • Kevin Hayes and Derek Stepan, both banged up on Tuesday should be ready for the Blue Jackets. Hayes scored twice in the win, adding to his impressive point total of 16. Hayes is on pace to blow by last year’s of 14 goals, and the Rangers need him to. At just 24, perhaps he’s developing into something more than a secondary scoring option.

Vancouver Canucks Recall Michael Garteig From ECHL

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In a head-scratching move, the Vancouver Canucks have recalled goaltender Michael Garteig from the Alaska Aces of the ECHL for tonight’s game against the Arizona Coyotes. No word has come down on why the move was made, but Ben Kuzma of  The Province suggests that a flu virus has been going around the room, and perhaps it’s struck one of the regular netminders.

Garteig was signed out of Quinnipac University this April, where he had starred for four years. Holding a 78-25-16 record, the goaltender helped his school lead the ECAC the last two years and win the championship in 2016. Off to a good start in Alaska, he’s 5-1 with a .916 save percentage.

Kuzma adds that Ryan Miller wasn’t at today’s optional skate and although that doesn’t confirm he’s the one who is ill, good money would be on Jacob Markstrom making the start tonight. The Canucks are 6-10-1 this season, but are still ahead of the Coyotes in the Pacific Division.

Canucks Send Jake Virtanen To AHL Comets

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Jake Virtanen might be starting to feel like a yo-yo.

After he started the year in the NHL, the Vancouver Canucks sent Virtanen to their AHL farm team, the Utica Comets. He played two games for the Comets last weekend (no points) before being called back up to the NHL. GM Jim Benning called it a conditioning stint. But Virtanen didn’t return to the Canucks lineup after being recalled; he was scratched in both games the Canucks have played since his return. And now, the Canucks have once again sent Virtanen to the AHL.

Virtanen has just one assist in 10 games with the Canucks so far this season. He was drafted out of the WHL as a power forward, where he had a respectable 161 points in 192 games for the Calgary Hitmen. So far, Virtanen has just 14 points in 65 NHL games over two seasons.

The Canucks drafted Virtanen sixth overall in 2014, ahead of William Nylander, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Dylan Larkin. It’s still early in Virtanen’s career, but it’s hard not to think the Canucks would like a mulligan on that pick.

Vancouver Interested In Evander Kane

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TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported earlier on “Insider Trading” that the Vancouver Canucks are revisiting the idea of trading for Buffalo Sabres winger Evander Kane. McKenzie says that the two teams had discussions this summer, and with both off to a tough start in 2016-17, a shakeup may be in order.

The Vancouver native, who also played his junior hockey with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants, might seem like a natural fit, but the efforts to acquire him raise many questions. The biggest of these questions – which still appears to be a question for the team itself – is the direction of the Vancouver Canucks. While team president Trevor Linden, GM Jim Benning and the rest of the Canucks brass are trying to build a contender, the opinion of most, including many of their own fans, is that Vancouver should instead be looking toward a rebuild. The team was predicted by many to be one of the worst in the league in 2016-17, and at 6-9-1, they have not done much to prove those pundits wrong. With a core that is already made up of 36-year-old twins Daniel and Henrik Sedin, 31-year-old free agent acquisition Loui Eriksson, and 36-year-old goalie Ryan Miller, the Canucks should really be trying to move veteran pieces to get younger players and prospects. The Buffalo Sabres (5-6-4) are also hoping to get younger, as they are committed to a rebuild. Would trading youth for Kane be a wise decision for Vancouver?

Benning has made it known that he would like to add a big, rugged, scoring winger to his current squad, and the 25-year-old Kane fits the bill. But at what cost? The 6’2″, 211 lb. forward has yet to record a point this season and has not scored more than 20 goals in a season since 2011-2012. While a change of scenery may boost those numbers and investing in a project player with raw talent like Kane could be worth it, he is not a solution to any of Vancouver’s immediate problems. McKenzie believes that the Sabres would like to bolster their blue line if they were to trade Kane. Losing a player like Alex Edler in a deal for Kane would not help the “contender Canucks” and losing a player such as Troy Stecher would not help the “rebuild Canucks”.

The other issue to take into account is the ongoing legal and behavioral problems that Kane has. While he may be less prone to problems back in his hometown, Kane’s off-the-ice issues are well-documented. Even if Vancouver can find the perfect deal, one that doesn’t cost them too much youth or an impact defenseman, a distraction is the last thing that this team needs.

At this point, the trade chatter surrounding Kane has gone on for so long that it seems inevitable that he’s dealt out of Buffalo in the near future. McKenzie believes that Vancouver is the most likely destination, but that doesn’t mean that they are the right one. The ongoing issues with the NHL’s most intriguing franchise will continue to be something to watch for in the 2016-17 season.

Canucks Do Not Plan To Trade The Sedin Twins

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Vancouver’s slow start to the season has had many speculate about the possibility that the team could move mainstays Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin but team president Trevor Linden poured cold water on that.  Speaking with ESPN’s Craig Custance (Insider subscription required), Linden indicated that dealing the twins is not an option for the team:

“It’s not a consideration.  These guys are too important to our organization, as people. Unless they walk in my door and say, ‘Hey trade us,’ that’s never going to happen.”

The Sedins have been with Vancouver since being drafted second and third overall back in 1999.  The duo sit first and second in games played, assists, and points in franchise history (and are first and second in team scoring this season as well).  Henrik has 980 points in 1,182 career games while Daniel checks in with 951 points in 1,159 contests.

However, the Canucks find themselves in a tough spot at the moment.  While they would like to contend in the short-term, that seems unlikely to happen based on their roster and in a lot of those situations, teams will sell their veteran assets and rebuild, something that Vancouver has been hesitant to do recently.

Further presenting a challenge to the Canucks here on top of the fact that the Sedins have been the faces of the franchise for many years is their contract situation.  Both players are making $7MM through 2017-18 and have full no-move clauses.  They’ve also been a package deal in the past, meaning that if a team wants one of them, they’d have to trade for both.  In the salary cap era where many teams have limited space, finding $14MM in payroll room would be a significant challenge for any team.  Linden himself acknowledged that finances would make any potential trade quite difficult:

“I don’t know any team that can take $14 million, for starters. It’s pretty unrealistic.”

Could the Sedins at some point ask for a move in the hopes of taking one last run at a Stanley Cup?  Anything’s a possibility but it doesn’t seem likely at this point which means that the twins can continue to pad their numbers atop the Canucks record books for the foreseeable future.

[Related: Canucks Depth Chart]

Pacific Division Notes: Burns, Kopitar, Virtanen

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Assuming he resists overtures from the Sharks to sign a massive extension first, Brent Burns will hit free agency next July as one of, if not the top player on the market. In fact, as Curtis Pashelka of the San Jose Mercury News writes, his situation closely mirrors that which confronted Steven Stamkos last season.

Like Stamkos, Burns will be a much-desired commodity if he reaches the open market. And just like Tampa Bay, the Sharks surely want to retain their star player. Though again, like Tampa Bay, San Jose will want to do so at a price less than that which Burns will be able find in free agency.

Of course the situation has already generated a lot media attention and will continue to do so until a resolution is reached. For many players, his pending free agency can prove to be a distraction and perhaps even impact his performance on the ice. That doesn’t seem to be the case to date for Burns as the 31-year-old blue liner has already tallied six goals and 14 points through 15 contests. But should Burns struggle with the attention and seek advice on how to handle things, he has a good resource in his friend Stamkos.

As Pashelka notes, the two players have known each other for more than two decades and spent some time together this summer. But according to Stamkos, Burns didn’t broach the subject of his free agency:

“Can’t say we’ve had a lot of discussions about it. I’m definitely open to a conversation if it comes a point where he needs somebody to talk to. But I know Burnzie. He knows what he’s doing.”

Burns certainly enjoys playing in San Jose and likely will give the Sharks every opportunity to extend his contract. Surely the Sharks will hope that Burns, like Stamkos, decided to forsake the probability of more money to remain somewhere he is happy.

Elsewhere in the Pacific Division:

  • It looks like the Kings may have dodged a bullet as the upper-body-injury suffered by team captain Anze Kopitar is considered day-to-day, reports Lisa Dillman of the Los Angeles Times. Kopitar appeared to injure his wrist/upper arm area when taking a spill along the boards in the third period of the team’s tilt with Ottawa. Kopitar, one of the NHL’s best centers, did miss this afternoon’s game against Winnipeg but the fact he’s been listed as day-to-day is good news for a team that dropped to 7 – 8 – 1 after today’s shootout loss to the Jets. The 29-year-old native of Slovenia is off to a slow start production-wise, with just eight points in 15 games.
  • Earlier this week the Vancouver Canucks assigned 20-year-old winger Jake Virtanen to their AHL affiliate in Utica. However, as reported, the team recalled Virtanen today after he saw action in two games this weekend for the Comets. Virtanen is off to a tough start to the campaign with just one point, an assist, in 10 games with Vancouver. He was also held off the scoresheet this weekend while suiting up for Utica. Virtanen did not play today in the Canucks 5 – 4 win OT win over Dallas.

 

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