Snapshots: Three Stars, Bortuzzo, Backes
The NHL has released the Three Stars for the third week of the season, and Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog has found himself in the top spot. Landeskog makes up part of one of the most dangerous trios in the league alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen, and finished last week with six goals and seven points in just three games. Landeskog is still just 25 years old despite this being his eighth season in the league and still has the potential to breakout and become a point-per-game player. That’s what he is so far with ten through his first eight games, and is an early bet to break his career high of 65 points this season.
Connor McDavid and Marc-Andre Fleury round out the stars of the week, taking home second and third respectively. Fleury especially bounced back from some early season struggles and is once again playing at a high level for the Vegas Golden Knights. The 33-year old goaltender is now tenth all-time in wins, and should pass Tony Esposito by season’s end to climb another spot.
- Robert Bortuzzo won’t be suiting up for the St. Louis Blues in Winnipeg tonight, as he’s flown back to St. Louis to be evaluated for a lower-body injury. The defenseman played on Saturday night, but is now apparently dealing with something serious enough to leave the team. The 29-year old has one goal through five games for the Blues, and is coming off the best season of his career in 2017-18 when he suited up for 72 contests. The team will have to go without his physicality and penalty killing for the time being, and will re-insert Jay Bouwmeester into the lineup for tonight’s game.
- It’s similar news for David Backes, who has left the Boston Bruins to return home and “have some tests done.” Backes didn’t play in Vancouver on Saturday night, and was limited to just over six minutes of ice time against the Edmonton Oilers after taking an early hit and being checked for a concussion. The 34-year old forward hasn’t scored yet this season, and could be on his way out of the Boston lineup on a long-term basis if he both can’t stay healthy and can’t produce. Unfortunately for the Bruins, he’s still has two more years after this season at a $6MM cap hit, and currently has a no-movement clause.
Snapshots: Bobrovsky, Flyers Defense, O’Reilly, Holden, Gurianov
This offseason could be a very interesting one assuming that teams don’t lock all the potential unrestricted free agents to contract extensions in the coming months. The Athletic’s Craig Custance (subscription required) breaks down the top 25 UFA’s this coming offseason with an update on how contract negotiations are going.
One interesting note is for the No. 3 UFA in Columbus Blue Jackets’ Sergei Bobrovsky, who is rumored to be asking for Carey Price money (around $10.5MM). That might be too much money for Columbus to offer, especially for a 30-year-old goaltender. Custance adds that the team could easily get outbid for the netminder’s services by the New York Islanders who might be extremely aggressive in adding a franchise-changing goaltender. Islanders’ general manager Lou Lamoriello is known to be a big fan of impact goaltenders, which goes all the way back to Martin Brodeur when he was in New Jersey.
After all, in 315 games between Philadelphia and Columbus, Bobrovsky has a .922 save percentage, two Vezina Trophies and has finished in the top 10 in Vezina voting four times.
- The Philadelphia Flyers had lost four of six games before Saturday’s game and Sam Carchidi of Philly.com writes that head coach Dave Hakstol decided to make a change as he separated his top pair defensemen in Shayne Gostisbehere and Ivan Provorov which turned out to be key in their 5-2 win over New Jersey. Gostisbehere was matched with Christian Folin, while Provorov was paired with Robert Hagg. The top four held to the Devils to just 21 shots on goal in the victory. Provorov was also much more noticeable on the offensive end of the ice. Previously held to just one point in the first seven games of the season, the 21-year-old posted two assists on Saturday. “(Hagg) is a little heavier body to play with Provy in some of those situations,” said Hakstol. “He obviously has a different look than Ghost. He doesn’t do as much with the puck, but he provides a heavier presence, so that changes the look of that pair.”
- Speaking of lines, the St. Louis Blues shook up their lines Saturday as well as center Ryan O’Reilly found himself with two new wingers Zachary Sanford and David Perron on the second line, according to St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jim Thomas. After his line put up two goals and three assists Saturday (including O’Reilly’s first goal as a member of the Blues), that line may not break up any time soon. “I thought ‘O’Ry’ was outstanding obviously in all areas of the game,” Yeo said. “So that line gave us some really good minutes.”
- NHL.com’s Gary Lawless writes that some of the Vegas Golden Knights’ success in their last three games comes from moving defenseman Nick Holden into the top-four. The veteran defenseman was originally signed to serve as a third pairing defenseman this offseason, but with Nate Schmidt (suspension) and Deryk Engelland (injury) both out, Holden has filled in admirably, averaging 18:54 ATOI. Holden did have a similar role back in 2016-17 when he was with the New York Rangers, so the 31-year-old already has quite a bit of experience playing in that role.
- After a postseason run last year where Dallas Stars prospect Denis Gurianov was often a healthy scratch and was beginning to look like a bust, the 21-year-old seems to have turned the corner early this season as he has been dominant as he enters his third year with the AHL, writes SportsDay’s Matthew DeFranks. The 12th-overall pick in the 2015 draft is starting to show off his potential as he is riding a five-game scoring streak and has five goals and seven points in seven games.
Pacific Notes: Gibson, Tuch, Eriksson, Thornton
The Anaheim Ducks know they can’t keep relying on the play of goaltender John Gibson, who has saved the team with his impressive play. Most recently Gibson sustained a 44-shot performance on Saturday (many of which were high-danger shots) against the Golden Knights, who walked away with a 3-1 win. Gibson wasn’t thrilled with the team’s inability to keep those shots down, according to The Athletic’s Josh Cooper (subscription required).
“I think we just need to be better. It’s getting old,” Gibson said with a little smirk after the 3-1 loss where he made 42 saves and his team managed just 18 shots on goal. “You see the game. You can see what we’re doing. It’s pretty self explanatory. We’re not playing to the level that I think we’re capable of playing and I think we’re just being too satisfied with just being average.”
Anaheim remains in first place in the Pacific Division at 5-2-1, but are dead last in the NHL in shots allowed as they have yielded an average of 37.0 shots per game. Gibson has been able to protect the team with his play as he boasts a .949 save percentage in his seven appearances and has a 1.91 GAA so far, but it’s unlikely he can keep that up.
“We’re not playing the right way,” coach Randy Carlyle said. “We’re loose in coverage and we’re not competitive enough and when you’re not competitive enough it means they’re starting with the puck and winning more of those battles and they have the puck more than you do.”
- The Vegas Golden Knights finally got winger Alex Tuch back on the ice Sunday as the practiced with the team in a non-contact sweater, according to Las Vegas Review-Journal’s David Schoen. Tuch, who just signed a seven-year, $33.25MM contract, hasn’t appeared in a game for Vegas this season. The 22-year-old has been out since Sept. 30 with an injury. With that new deal in hand, The Athletic’s Jesse Granger (subscription required) wonders how good Tuch can actually be, considering the team only has his rookie season’s numbers of 15 goals and 37 points, which mostly had him on the team’s third line. The 6-foot-4, 220-pounder is great at getting into the corners and doing the dirty work and the scribe compares him to a young Milan Lucic, who also put up similar numbers as a rookie and eventually become a consistent 20-goal scorer for years. “We’re expecting him to get better every year, and we’re expecting big things from him this year and he should be back soon,” coach Gerard Gallant said. “He’s a good young player but he has to keep getting better. He’s not elite yet. He’s far from elite, and we want him to get to be elite someday.”
- With no goals in eight games, there has been quite a bit of criticism that has been thrown at Vancouver Canucks winger Loui Eriksson, the team’s highest paid player at $6MM per year. Regardless head coach Travis Green vigorously defended his veteran forward on Saturday, according to TSN’s Jeff Patterson. “He’s second on our team in 5-on-5 points and second in plus-minus and it’s seven games, not 50,” said Green. “He’s on the second power-play unit and not the first. He has done some good things and it’s not just about goals with Loui. There a lots of guys I want more out of and if I say I want more out of Loui, everyone is up in arms about it. I thought he was playing good with Elias Pettersson. He was good defensively and does some subtle things that people don’t notice — nor does he get recognition for – and I’m not worried about Eriksson, I can tell you that.”
- The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz reports that center Joe Thornton remains day-to-day after he was placed on injured reserve due to swelling in his surgically repaired knee. However, the 39-year-old is expected to travel with the team for their upcoming three-game road trip. “I don’t know if he’ll play or not,” said Sharks coach Peter DeBoer. Thornton, however, said he hopes to play this week.
Vegas Golden Knights Sign Alex Tuch To Seven-Year Extension
The Vegas Golden Knights have locked up another member of their core, signing Alex Tuch to a seven-year extension that carries an average annual value of $4.75MM. Tuch is currently working his way back from injury, and is in the final season of his entry-level contract. He was scheduled to become a restricted free agent next offseason, but will not have to worry about negotiating with the Golden Knights for quite some time. The deal includes no signing bonuses, and will have just a five team no-trade clause during the last three seasons.
Tuch, 22, came to the Golden Knights through an expansion draft agreement with the Minnesota Wild, and flourished in his first year in the NHL. In 78 games last season he scored 15 goals and 37 points, while becoming a big body that the team could deploy in almost any situation. With excellent puck skills and creativity, Tuch is more than just a physical presence on the ice, but can likely thank Tom Wilson for at least some of this contract. The team obviously saw the value in having some size up front, and committed nearly as much money to Tuch as to Jonathan Marchessault, one of their offensive leaders.
That $4.75MM is a bit surprising for a player who has just 84 regular season games under his belt, but it’s not like Tuch came out of nowhere. Selected 18th overall in 2014, he starred at Boston College for two seasons before making a successful jump to the AHL’s Iowa Wild. Though the 6’4″ winger may not have incredible finishing skills in tight, he can routinely get the puck to the dangerous areas and create opportunities for himself and his linemates. That was no more apparent than during the Golden Knights’ Stanley Cup Finals run, in which Tuch scored six goals including two game-winners in 20 games. His ten postseason points put him only behind Marchessault, Reilly Smith, William Karlsson and James Neal up front, showing just how important he is to the Vegas attack.
Still, there’s obviously risk involved here for the Golden Knights. Though the team started with a clean balance sheet and the entire salary cap to work with, they’ve now committed more than $60MM to next season on just 15 players and have huge contracts to negotiate with William Karlsson and Nate Schmidt. They’re by no means in trouble with numbers like that, but they also can’t really weaponize their cap space like they once did, and take on dead money like David Clarkson. In just a short period of time, the Golden Knights have put themselves in a situation just like most of the other teams in the league, with plenty of money committed long-term. Tuch becomes the eighth player signed at least through the 2021-22 season.
Betting on Tuch is another indication that the front office in Vegas believes that last year was no fluke. Though they’re off to a less than stellar start this season, they believe this core is still capable of taking the team to the playoffs and competing there for years to come. That’s why the team went out and signed Paul Stastny in the offseason to replace some of Neal’s outgoing offense, and then traded for and extended Max Pacioretty just before the beginning of the season. The expansion franchise is in win-now mode, while still having a huge pile of draft picks to select over the next few seasons.
Tuch will become the fourth-highest paid forward on the Golden Knights next season, though Karlsson is sure to push him down a spot with whatever deal he works out with the team. That’s because with a deal of this length he’s selling off three years of unrestricted free agency, and a chance to make even more money. The young forward wouldn’t have had arbitration rights in 2019, but now won’t even have to consider a long hard negotiation with the team. He’ll now have the certainty of playing in Vegas for a long time, and becoming one of the real faces of the new franchise.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was the first to break news of the contract, while Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported details of the no-trade clause.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Paul Stastny Out Up To Two Months
The whole league seems to be getting hit hard by injury lately, and the Vegas Golden Knights are no different. Head coach Gerard Gallant revealed today that Paul Stastny will be out up to two months with his latest lower-body injury. Jesse Granger of The Athletic believes it was suffered on a play at the end of the team’s game against the Buffalo Sabres, though it wasn’t expected to be very severe at the time.
Stastny, 32, was brought in this summer as a replacement for some of the outgoing talent in free agency. With James Neal and David Perron heading for greener pastures elsewhere, Stastny signed a three-year, $19.5MM contract with the Golden Knights and then saw his friend and international linemate Max Pacioretty added through trade. Things looked set up for success in Vegas, but after being held scoreless through three games Stastny now faces a long recovery period and some diminished totals for 2018-19.
The center hit the 50-point mark last season for the first time in several years, mainly because he finally had remained healthy. Stastny played in all 82 games for the first time since his rookie year in 2006-07, but won’t be able to repeat that feat this season. That’s troubling for the Golden Knights who have quite a bit of money invested in the veteran forward, and were expecting to have their second line built around him this season. Instead, Erik Haula has moved back to the middle of that unit and could get Alex Tuch back on his wing soon. Not exactly the start of the season the Golden Knights were hoping for, but one they’ll have to deal with for at least a little while.
Minor Transactions: 10/14/18
It’s Sunday in the NHL and that means there are only a few games on tap for today, but not that there won’t be much movement. We’re here to keep track of all the day’s minor moves. Keep refreshing this page to see if your favorite team has swapped anyone from the minor leagues.
- The Washington Capitals have assigned Jayson Megna to the AHL, giving him a chance to get some playing time after being a healthy scratch through the first part of the season. Megna cleared waivers earlier this month meaning he could be sent directly to the minors, and with the Capitals off until Wednesday they can save some cap space by carrying fewer players on the roster. The team will likely make another move to bring up an extra player early in the week.
- The Toronto Marlies announced they have signed defenseman Ryan Sproul to a PTO. Sproul has been with the Marlies for much of training camp, but didn’t make their opening day roster and now has signed a a PTO with the hopes of eventually working his way onto the Calder Cup champions’ roster. Sproul tried to make the Calgary Flames NHL roster early in training camp, but was let go. The 25-year-old blueliner has appeared in 44 NHL games over his career, but the Detroit Red Wings traded him to the New York Rangers a few weeks into the season last year due to his defensive deficiencies. He played 49 games between the Grand Rapids Griffins and the Hartford Wolfpack last season, posting 11 goals and 29 points and was then called up to the Rangers, where he played 16 games for the rebuilding Rangers.
- Sportsnet’s Rick Dhaliwal reports that the Vancouver Canucks have recalled center Adam Gaudette after the team lost fourth-line center Jay Beagle to a broken hand or wrist in Saturday’s game. While there is no official word of Beagle’s injury, the team knew it needed to replace him. Gaudette signed with the Canucks after he finished his junior year at Northeastern University and played five games for Vancouver. He was one of the team’s last cuts during training camp and returns after posting two goals and four points in four games with the Utica Comets of the AHL.
- With a rash of injuries to multiple players, the Anaheim Ducks have recalled Joseph Blandisi from the San Diego Gulls of the AHL, according to CapFriendly. The team is expected to scratch center Carter Rowney with an upper-body injury, which means the team needs Blandisi. The 24-year-old center was part of the Sami Vatanen – Adam Henrique trade last season, but he hasn’t been able to crack the rotation with the Ducks yet. He had two assists in three games with the Gulls so far this year.
- The Colorado Avalanche announced they have recalled forward Sheldon Dries from the Colorado Eagles of the AHL. The 24-year-old was sent down just two days ago, but was brought back for their road trip while the team awaits the return of Sven Andrighetto. Dries has already played in three games for the Avalanche, but hasn’t put up any points. Dries scored 19 goals for the Texas Stars last season, who were the Calder Cup runners-up, but opted to find a better opportunity as a free agent this summer.
- After a pair of games in the minors, defenseman Jake Bischoff is on his way back to Vegas, their AHL affiliate in Chicago announced. The 24-year-old earned a spot on the Golden Knights roster to start the season but hasn’t gotten into any games with the big club just yet so they sent him down for the weekend to stay in playing shape.
Injury Notes: Schwartz, DeKeyser, Luongo, Eriksson Ek, Engelland
The St. Louis Blues will be without Jaden Schwartz for a few more days as Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, writes that the winger will be out Saturday vs. Chicago due to a lower-body injury when he took a shot off his foot/leg last Saturday vs. Calgary. Head coach Mike Yeo also doubts he will be available for Sunday’s game against Anaheim.
“He’s out for tonight, looking like he’s doubtful to questionable for tomorrow,” Yeo said. “I don’t know that there’s gonna be a big improvement there (overnight). But certainly the report that we got, there’s nothing to be concerned about long-term here.”
The only positive about being without Schwartz is it will give Yeo more of an opportunity to offer more minutes to their three top prospects with Sammy Blais likely getting the bulk of Schwartz’ minutes, including power play time. However, Yeo also said he intends to mix up lines as well against Chicago to get more playing time for both Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou.
- The Detroit Red Wings’ defense continues to fall more and more apart as Danny DeKeyser exited Saturday’s game with an upper-body injury and is not expected to return, leaving the team with just five defensemen, according to Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James. While there is no word on the severity of DeKeyser’s injury, MLive’s Ansar Khan updates other defensive injuries, including that Dennis Cholowski is possible for their game Monday against Montreal, while Jonathan Ericsson is doubtful for Monday. Meanwhile, Trevor Daley is out Monday.
- George Richards of The Athletic (subscription required) spoke to Florida Panthers goaltender Roberto Luongo for the first time since the goaltender suffered a lower-body injury in the season opener. The veteran netminder said that he expects to be out for the back end of the 2-4 weeks that he was listed out for as he hasn’t begun to skate yet. “I’m still trying to get comfortable walking,” Luongo said. “I’m working hard to be back as soon as I can. I have done enough sitting around the past couple of years. I want to be on the ice with the boys.
- The Athletic’s Michael Russo writes that the Minnesota Wild will be without center Joel Eriksson Ek for at least a week as he suffered an upper-body injury recently. The 21-year-old has been critical for the team’s third line even though he still hasn’t registered a point in three games. The team intends to move center Eric Fehr onto the third line, but general manager Paul Fenton and head coach Bruce Boudreau will both speak after today’s game in regards to a potential callup.
- The Vegas Golden Knights have listed defenseman Deryk Engelland as day-to-day after he was forced to leave in the second period of Saturday’s game against Philadelphia, according to Las Vegas Review-Journal’s David Schoen. He’ll be re-evaluated when the team returns to Las Vegas. The 36-year-old has made a name for himself with a career-year last year, who has made Las Vegas his home since he played for the ECHL Las Vegas Wranglers back in the 2004-05 season.
Minor Transactions: 10/12/18
Somehow the NHL has no games scheduled for today, meaning teams will have a chance to assess their rosters and make any changes necessary. We’ll keep track of all those minor moves right here.
- The Arizona Coyotes have activated Conor Garland off season-opening injured reserve, and assigned him to the Tucson Roadrunners. Garland, 22, is a fifth round pick of the Coyotes from 2015 that still hasn’t quite found his stride in the minor leagues. He’ll try to improve on the 27-point effort he recorded last season, in this his third year in the minor leagues.
- Sheldon Dries is on his way down to the minor leagues, reassigned by the Colorado Avalanche to the Colorado Eagles. The 24-year old forward made his NHL debut this season and played in three of the first four games for the Avalanche, but will now try to impress at the AHL level. Dries is one of the few forwards on the roster that is still waiver-exempt, and could bounce up and down quite often this season.
- The Vegas Golden Knights have sent Jake Bischoff to the minor leagues, likely to finally get some playing time this season after not seeing the ice through the first few games. Bischoff, part of an expansion draft trade with the New York Islanders, recorded 23 points in 69 games for the Chicago Wolves last season and is still waiting to make his NHL debut. The 24-year old defenseman had a solid career at the University of Minnesota, but will have to show even more to crack the Golden Knights lineup going forward.
NHL Grants Suspended Tom Wilson “Non-Roster Player” Status
The Washington Capitals activated defenseman Michal Kempny from the injured reserve today, but it’s what they didn’t do that’s making headlines. The Capitals made no corresponding move after adding Kempny to the roster, presumably leaving them with more than the CBA-allotted 23 roster players. How this was possible sent reporters scrambling for information. What they found was both surprising and potentially dangerous.
It turns out that the Capitals had not exceeded the roster limit, as suspended forward Tom Wilson had been granted “non-roster player” status. CapFriendly relays the information from the Washington Post’s Isabelle Khurshudyan, while adding some context to what that label means. A “non-roster player” does not count against the roster, allowing the Capitals to activate Kempny by discounting Wilson. The CBA states that “non-roster player” status must be specifically granted by the Commissioner and it is reserved for special instances of non-injury absence. Among the examples given are the birth of a child or bereavement. Notably not present is suspension and there is little precedent for suspended players being placed on this list. Granted, a suspension is a non-injury absence, but use of the “non-roster” exemption begs the question of whether teams should share in the punishment of a suspension.
Wilson’s 20-game suspension for yet another illegal check, this time to the head of St. Louis Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist in the preseason, is obviously a blow to Capitals. They won’t have their menacing power forward for the first quarter of the season, perhaps when they need him most as the defending Stanley Cup champs who everyone wants to play hard against. Yet, shouldn’t Washington also bear the weight of one of their regular players being worthy of such as suspension? Why should the team that employs a frequent offender be given a roster exemption and added flexibility while he remains out? The San Jose Sharks were given this same treatment when Raffi Torres was suspended for half of the 2015-16 season, CapFriendly reports, so the league is seemingly comfortable with using the “non-roster player” exemption for suspensions, but there are certainly reasons that they shouldn’t be.
The next question is where do they draw the line? It seems that the NHL is heading down a slippery slope by using this exemption for suspensions and could be setting a dangerous precedent. Case in point: the Capitals are enjoying Wilson’s “non-roster” status through 20 games for a dirty hit, whereas the Vegas Golden Knights have seemingly not been afforded the same luxury for defenseman Nate Schmidt‘s 20-game suspension for a failed drug test on little more than a technicality. Why are the two treated differently? Why aren’t all suspended players exempt from the roster limit? The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler opines that the NHL has gone “down the rabbit hole” with this decision and now nothing is stopping every team from requesting a “non-roster player” exemption for each and every suspension. The league simply can’t go case-by-case and assign “non-roster” status behind the scenes. A can of worms has been opened and a blanket policy on the “non-roster player” status of suspended players seems to be the only solution.
Minor Transactions: 10/03/18
The NHL season will get underway in just a few hours, and teams have already started tinkering with their rosters. Throughout the year we’ll keep track of all the minor moves around the league and elsewhere in the hockey world.
- The Colorado Avalanche are sending Dominic Toninato to the AHL for the time being, signaling that one of their injured players may be close to returning to the lineup. Mike Chambers of the Denver Post also tweets that the team is likely to carry fewer than 23 players at times during this season, given the new geographical proximity of their primary affiliate. The Colorado Eagles joined the AHL this season, giving the Avalanche a team that they can quickly get players up from on short notice.
- Nate Schmidt won’t be with the Vegas Golden Knights for the next 20 games after his PED suspension, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be on the ice with a professional team. Schmidt—hilariously, given his former team in Washington—will practice with the Vienna Capitals in Austria while he waits out his NHL ban.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have activated Ryan Murray from injured reserve in time for their opener, while moving Scott Harrington to the IR with his concussion. Murray has a lot to prove this season after signing a one-year deal in the offseason, and should get increased opportunity with Seth Jones starting the year on the shelf.
- It didn’t take long for the Detroit Red Wings to bring some players back up, as Ansar Khan of MLive reports that Filip Hronek, Joe Hicketts and Luke Witkowski have all been recalled. The trio were sent down to finalize the roster this week, but with Jonathan Ericsson and Niklas Kronwall being moved to injured reserve, reinforcements were needed.
- Emerson Etem had his NHL tryout ended this week, but has signed another one with the Ontario Reign. Etem is trying to catch on somewhere and show that he still has some of that immense potential he showed early in his career. The 26-year old has played so few games over the last few years that it’s hard to believe he’ll be back in the NHL at some point, but he’s still a name to keep an eye on.