Vegas Golden Knights Claim Ryan Carpenter
After hitting waivers yesterday, Ryan Carpenter has been claimed by the Vegas Golden Knights according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The former San Jose Sharks forward played 16 games with the team this season, recording a single point. A corresponding move will have to happen for the Golden Knights, who currently have 23 players on their active roster.
This is a very interesting move by the Golden Knights, as they don’t seem to have any need for Carpenter at the moment. The team is full of forwards capable of centering the fourth line and penalty killing, the two things Carpenter did for the Sharks. Perhaps the team sees a higher potential in the 26-year old, since he has shown a high offensive profile in the minor leagues.
As Pierre LeBrun reports, the Golden Knights have scouting Carpenter since before the expansion draft but weren’t able to select him when the Sharks used a protection slot on him. They eventually did select David Schlemko, but immediately flipped him to the Montreal Canadiens for nothing more than a fifth-round pick.
Carpenter went undrafted, but after starring at Bowling Green University the Sharks signed him in the spring of 2014. He’s since earned two additional contracts, including the two-year deal he’s currently under that runs through the 2018-19 season. The contract is two-way in nature this season—meaning he earns different amounts depending on whether he’s in the AHL or NHL—but turns into a one-way minimum salary deal next season.
Interestingly, the Golden Knights only have two waiver-exempt players on the roster at the moment, and neither of them seem poised to be sent down. Alex Tuch and Shea Theodore started the year in the minor leagues to give the team some flexibility, but are key parts of the team now. Instead, Stefan Matteau is the likely candidate to go back down as though he’s not waiver-exempt, he did clear in late September and has yet to spend the 30 days on the active roster that would reset his clock.
Minor Transactions: 12/10/17
There may only be four games on tap today, but with a busy slate yesterday that saw all but seven teams in action, there should be many squads reviewing their performances and making any necessary changes ahead of a new week:
- After being called up just yesterday, Sonny Milano is on his way back down to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters once again. The Columbus Blue Jackets announced the demotion of the struggling young forward late last night after an unimpressive performance against the Arizona Coyotes. Columbus came out on top 1-0, but Milano’s only statistic of note was one giveaway in his 8:34 time on ice. Milano has five goals and five assists in 25 games with the Jackets this season, but has scored only once since October 13th. With Columbus’ depth of talent, they don’t have to put up with that inconsistency.
- NHL.com’s Igor Eronko reports that the St. Louis Blues have recalled Ivan Barbashev from the AHL. After playing in 30 games for St. Louis in 2016-17, Barbashev has only skated in six NHL contests this season and hasn’t seen big league action since October after being held scoreless to begin the campaign. With the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, Barbashev has four goals and four assists in 18 games, so the 21-year-old Russian isn’t exactly tearing up the minors either. Barbashev needs to find a rhythm this season if he hopes to stick in St. Louis and this recall is his next chance to do so.
- The Dallas Stars announced the have recalled center Jason Dickinson from the Texas Stars of the AHL this morning. The 22-year old has played in just four games with no points with the Dallas Stars this season, filling in as an emergency forward. This will be no different as the team still has Martin Hanzal out and the status of Antoine Roussel (elbow) and Greg Pateryn (thigh contusion) are both up in the air for tomorrow’s game against the New York Rangers. Dickinson is expected to play as the team’s fourth-line center on Monday, according to NHL.com’s Mark Stepneski. The former first-round pick from 2013 has played well in the AHL, where he has scored 13 goals in 20 games.
- The Montreal Canadiens announced they have activated winger Nikita Scherbak, who has been out since Oct. 26 after requiring surgery on his right knee, and has been assigned to the Laval Rocket of the AHL. Scherbak had only played with the Canadiens for less than a week when he was injured. He was recalled on Oct. 22 after a strong start with the Rocket when he put up one goal and eight assists in six games. Struggling for offense, Montreal hoped Scherbak might be able to infuse the team with his skills, but he managed to play in just two games and averaged just 7:59 of ice time before injuring his knee.
- The Anaheim Ducks placed Joseph Blandisi, who was recently acquired as part of the Sami Vatanen and Adam Henrique trade, on injured reserve with an upper body injury. He played in two games with no points after coming over in the trade, but was injured in the Dec. 2 game against the Nashville Predators. He has missed three games and could still be activated for Monday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes. The team also recalled defenseman Andrew Welinski from the San Diego Gulls of the AHL. The 24-year-old played four years with University of Minnesota-Duluth and has played well in San Diego as the blueliner has six goals and 11 assists in 21 games. This is his first callup to Anaheim.
- The Associated Press’ Stephen Whyno tweets that the Vegas Golden Knights activated starting goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury off of injured reserve and assigned Maxime Lagace to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. Fleury was reported yesterday to be ready for Tuesday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes. He has been out since Oct. 13 with a concussion and has played in just four games this season. The team’s leader has a 2.48 GAA and a 3-1 record. Lagace returns to Chicago after a long stint with the Golden Knights. The 24-year-old made his NHL debut this season and had some good and bad games, wrapping up with the team Saturday as he stopped 36 shots to win his sixth game of the season against the Dallas Stars. He finished his stint having played in 14 games with a 3.79 GAA and a .872 save percentage. Because Lagace was an emergency recall, he does not have to pass through waivers to return to Chicago.
Vegas’ Fleury Expected To Return Tuesday
The Vegas Golden Knights have won three straight and are getting great play from backup goaltender Malcolm Subban, but Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Steve Carp tweets that the team’s starting goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury will return to the ice on Tuesday when Vegas hosts the Carolina Hurricanes.
Fleury has been out since Oct. 13 with a concussion after taking a knee from Detroit’s Anthony Mantha, which started a flurry of goaltending injuries and forced the team to go five goalies deep for quite a while. Subban took over after Fleury’s injury, but went down not long after with a lower-body injury. That forced the team to call up both their AHL goalies in Oscar Dansk and Maxime Lagace. Both also fared well, but Dansk went down and the team was forced to call up 2017 seventh-round pick Dylan Ferguson from his junior team on an emergency basis. Since then Subban has returned and played well as the team waited for Fleury to return.
The 33-year-old veteran and face of the franchise was cleared to return to practice on Wednesday. Some thought Fleury intended to return on Dec. 14, when the Golden Knights will host the Pittsburgh Penguins. However, he will make his return two days earlier. He has only played four games for the expansion franchise, posting a 3-1 record and a 2.48 GAA.
Bettman Addresses Seattle And Carolina
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman spoke to the media tonight, following the NHL Board of Governors meeting, and filled in many of the blanks regarding major league story lines in Seattle and Carolina. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and TSN’s Pierre LeBrun were among many in attendance to run through the long list of Bettman’s answers.
Following the recent approval by the city of Seattle to build a new arena in hopes of recruiting NHL and NBA teams to the city, there has been no bigger story around the league than the possibility of another expansion franchise in the near future. The proposal included a projected cost of $660MM to construct the arena, but according to Bettman, that will be only half the cost to join the NHL. Bettman confirmed this evening that the Board of Governors has agreed that they will accept an expansion application from the Seattle group, led by billionaire businessman David Bonderman, but that the board has set the expansion fee at $650MM, which is $150MM more than what Bill Foley and the Vegas Golden Knights just recently paid. Bettman clarified that the application also does not guarantee that a team will be placed in Seattle.
However, it certainly seems like a plan is in motion, with an eye on the 2020-21 season. Bettman specifically mentioned that the Seattle group may begin a ticket drive, similar to the one that found great success in Las Vegas. He also was clear that the league would not be accepting bids from any other cities, despite concrete interest from Quebec City and Houston among others. He also says that – as of now – there are no teams that the league sees as re-location candidates. The conference balance that the Seattle market would bring, in addition to a city with hockey history, seems to make Seattle a perfect market for expansion.
Speaking of re-location, the Carolina Hurricanes aren’t going anywhere. Bettman confirmed the report that Tom Durndon has signed the purchase agreement to buy up the majority share of the ‘Canes from Peter Karmanos, but added the stern caveat that “this is not a team that will be moved.” Durndon will take on 52% of the team’s shares, with Karmanos holding on to 48% and Durndon having the option to buy the remaining shares over three years. The sale is not quite done yet, but should be in the books soon, with Durndon vowing to keep the team in Raleigh once he is in control.
Injury Updates: Luongo, Manning, Fleury
It looked bad when Roberto Luongo was forced out of Monday’s game with an apparent lower-body injury, and the update won’t be very comforting to Florida Panthers fans. Head coach Bob Boughner told reporters that Luongo will miss an “extended period of time,” going as far as claiming five weeks could be a possibility. The Panthers wouldn’t confirm what the injury exactly is, though it’s believed to be the goaltender’s groin.
The 38-year old was playing exceptional this season, and carries a .928 save percentage on the season. While his play hasn’t suffered, injury was always a risk for a goaltender at his age as he showed by missing a large chunk of the season last year, and already being held out with a hand injury in the early going this season. The Panthers will turn to James Reimer and Harri Sateri for the time being, who will have to try and turn things around to keep the team in the playoff race. Florida currently sits seventh in the Atlantic, with just 24 points through 27 games.
- Brandon Manning will be out three to four weeks with an upper-body injury, while Michal Neuvirth is out for just one. The Philadelphia Flyers made two recalls to fill their spots this morning, and GM Ron Hextall also told Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer that Samuel Morin and Philippe Myers would be back from their own injuries in a week or so. Either young defenseman could get the call when they’re deemed healthy, though T.J. Brennan will get the first crack.
- Marc-Andre Fleury was back on the ice again at Vegas Golden Knights practice according to David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, and was already having fun pranking his teammates. Fleury hasn’t played since October 13th, but seems ready to get back in the net for Vegas in the coming days. The Golden Knights already have Malcolm Subban back and playing well, giving them a legitimate tandem once Fleury gets back to game action. The Golden Knights, who are still fighting for first place in the Pacific Division, have found success even while dressing their fifth-string goaltender.
Fleury Cleared To Practice For Vegas
- The Arizona Coyotes announced they have activated Jakob Chychrun off of injured reserve and he is expected to play tonight against the Vegas Golden Knights. Chychrun, the team’s first-round pick in 2016, played a full season for the Coyotes as an 18 year old last year and held his own. He picked up three goals and 17 assists in 68 games. He underwent knee surgery in early August and has made a quick recovery. He was assigned last week to the Tucson Roadrunners on a conditioning loan, but didn’t play in any games for them. In a corresponding move, the team sent defenseman Andrew Campbell back to Tucson. He had been recalled as an emergency defenseman on Wednesday, but didn’t appear in a game.
- Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Steve Carp tweeted that Vegas Golden Knights general manager George McPhee said that starting goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who has been out since Oct. 13 with concussion symptoms, has passed his tests and has been cleared to return to practice on Wednesday assuming the veteran goalie has no setbacks. Fleury, the face of the franchise, has only appeared in four games for the Golden Knights and has a 2.48 GAA and a .925 save percentage. Vegas has struggled with injuries in goal, although backup Malcolm Subban returned last week and has assumed the starting job. McPhee said he was not sure when Fleury would be ready to return to a game, however.
Evening Notes: Division Realignment, Roussel, Engelland, Chychrun
With the Toronto Maple Leafs making stops in Calgary on Tuesday and Edmonton on Thursday, the rivalry between those Canadian Eastern and Western Conference matchups are off the charts. The Athletic’s James Mirtle (subscription required) wonders if it wouldn’t be a smart idea to change the conferences, especially down the road when the Quebec Nordiques return to the NHL.
The scribe’s suggestion is create an all-Canadian conference to replace the Central Division, moving all eight Canadian teams including the Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames and Quebec City in the same division. Non-Canadian Central Division teams would be moved to either the Atlantic Division or the Pacific Division where the Canadian teams left holes.
There would be two key outcomes to this move, including increased revenue as rivalry matchups in 34 out of each team’s 82-game schedule will increase ratings and increase ticket sales. Currently, Canadian teams only play 16 games against in-country rivals. Playoffs would also promote multiple Canada-vs.-Canada rivalries and also would increase TV ratings.
Mirtle mentions some downsides to realigning the divison, which would include increased travel times for other teams such as the Minnesota Wild if they were moved to the Pacific Divison, but still feels the NHL should seriously look into that over the next few years.
- The Dallas Stars will be without wing Antoine Roussel, who is expected to miss tonight’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks with the flu, according to coach Ken Hitchock. The coach added that Roussel is day-to-day regarding Sunday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche. Roussel has three goals and eight points in 25 games for Dallas.
- Las Vegas Review-Journal’s David Schoen writes that Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Deryk Engelland remains day-to-day after suffering an injury to his hand in Thursday’s game against the Minnesota Wild. The 35-year-old blueliner missed last night’s game against the Winnipeg Jets. He has two goals and nine points in 24 games this season and has been a key piece to the expansion team’s successful run so far this year.
- Craig Morgan of NHL.com tweets that Arizona Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said that defenseman Jakob Chychrun might play Sunday against the Vegas Golden Knights. The 2016 first-round pick hasn’t played this year and is currently on a conditioning stint with the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL. He had knee surgery in August and would make a big addition the Coyotes defensive core. He played 68 games for Arizona last year as an 18-year-old.
Vegas Golden Knights Activate Luca Sbisa, Place Two Others On IR
The Vegas Golden Knights are getting an important defender back, activating Luca Sbisa from injured reserve. Unfortunately in his place the team has placed both David Perron and William Carrier to IR, and neither are with the club on their current road trip.
Sbisa hasn’t played since November 10th, when he was knocked out of the lineup with a lower-body injury. The 27-year old defenseman had been logging more than 20 minutes a night for the Golden Knights, and was on a career-high pace in the early season. Having only recorded more than 20 points in a season once before, eight in his first 16 games was certainly impressive. His speed and experience will come in handy for the Golden Knights as they continue to lead the Pacific Division a quarter of the way through the season.
For Perron and Carrier, Sunday is the earliest either can return since both will have their IR stints dated retroactive to their previous game. The pair both missed Tuesday’s 3-0 loss at the hands of the Dallas Stars, a team chasing them in the standings. Sbisa is expected to jump back into the lineup alongside Colin Miller.
Vegas Golden Knights Sign Brayden McNabb To Four-Year Extension
The Vegas Golden Knights have signed defenseman Brayden McNabb to a four-year, $10MM extension. McNabb was set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. The $2.5MM cap hit is a raise over his current $1.7MM contract, and will carry through the 2021-22 season. The deal contains no signing bonuses, and the salary breaks down as follows:
- 2018-19: $3.0MM
- 2019-20: $2.5MM
- 2020-21: $2.5MM
- 2021-22: $2.0MM
McNabb, 26, has become an integral piece for the Golden Knights. Always a strong possession player in Los Angeles, McNabb was never asked to log big minutes for the Kings as they had several defenders ahead of him in the depth chart. That showed once again when they left him unprotected, only for Vegas to snatch him up and immediately give him a much more important role. McNabb has been averaging close to 20 minutes a game for the Golden Knights, and has given them a dangerous physical presence on the blueline.
This extension marks truly the first long-term contract handed out by the Golden Knights, as Erik Haula‘s three-year deal was the previous longest. Reilly Smith, the only other player under contract with Vegas past 2019-20, had already agreed to his five-year extension with the Florida Panthers before he was traded at the expansion draft. That should give a clear message to McNabb that they want him as part of the Golden Knights core going forward. GM George McPhee said as much to Jesse Granger of the Las Vegas Sun:
McNabb is a very good defensive defenseman. He’s got a long stick, and is good with his stick. He’s locked down some top opposing players for us and we hope he’s here for the rest of his career.
The $2.5MM cap hit is one that should excite Vegas fans. If McNabb can reliably hold down a top-4 spot for the Golden Knights through the duration of the contract, he’ll make a remarkably affordable asset for the team. As we discussed earlier today, Vegas could be huge players in the 2019 free agent class and to do so they’ll need contributors on relatively inexpensive deals throughout the rest of the roster. Even if McNabb is relegated to fewer minutes and the third pairing, $2.5MM is a reasonable amount to pay.
In fact, it already compares favorably to some other third-pairing options around the league. Kevan Miller in Boston signed a similar four-year, $10MM contract in 2016 and logs fewer than 19 minutes a night for the Bruins, while Michael Stone is earning $3.5MM for this and another two seasons from the Calgary Flames to play fewer than 17. McNabb doesn’t have a huge resume of top minutes, but if the early season is any indication this contract may turn out to be a steal for the Golden Knights.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Drew Doughty Pondering His Next Contract
If you look early enough, the 2019 unrestricted free agent class looks like it could be historical. Erik Karlsson, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Ryan Ellis, Tyler Seguin, Jeff Skinner, Joe Pavelski, Artemi Panarin, Sergei Bobrovsky, Cam Talbot and many, many more are all set to become UFAs. Obviously the majority of those names will likely be re-signed by their current clubs, and many aren’t likely even thinking about their next contract just yet. One that is however is Drew Doughty, who recently spoke with Craig Custance of The Athletic concerning his upcoming free agency.
Doughty, always unfiltered, speaks about what he thinks negotiations would start at for both him and Karlsson and explains how he’ll try to be in touch with the Ottawa defenseman throughout the process. One specific quote, on where he thinks his salary would sit is extremely telling:
Right now, I guess we’d be gauging off what P.K. [Subban] makes. I think both of us deserve quite a bit more than that.
Subban currently holds the highest cap hit for any defenseman in the league at $9MM, with Brent Burns‘ extension bringing him closest at $8MM next season. The idea that Doughty and Karlsson will command “quite a bit more” than that may be a tough thing for any team (especially an internal-budget team like Ottawa) to swallow, even if it is for a franchise defenseman.
Custance lists the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings (two lead markets of The Athletic) as potential suitors for Doughty if he does hit free agency, though the defenseman is quick to point out that he loves the Los Angeles organization and is by no means saying he’ll be a free agent when his current contract ends. If he or any of the other franchise players do though, another interesting market to watch for will be the NHL’s newest landscape: Vegas.
We’ve examined the Golden Knights’ salary structure in the past, but it is important to once again note something in particular. Vegas has just four one-way contracts on the books for the 2019-20 season, one of which is David Clarkson who will continue to be on long-term injured reserve. The team has basically all but $10MM of the salary cap—which could be well in excess of $80MM by then—with which to spend the next few seasons, making them a dangerous player in free agency. While other teams are hampered by re-signing their own young players or dealing with the effects of bad contracts from the past, Vegas will have free rein to do what they please in the summer of 2019.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images