Luca Sbisa Placed On Injured Reserve
The Vegas Golden Knights had announced that Luca Sbisa would miss both games on their current road trip, but they hadn’t actually moved him to injured reserve. At least, not with anyone knowing about it. David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal has discovered otherwise, with Sbisa having been placed on IR yesterday. The 27-year old defenseman hasn’t played since November 10th, meaning it is probably backdated far enough to allow him to return on Sunday if he’s ready to play.
Sbisa has been a bright spot for the Golden Knights so far this season, logging over 20 minutes a night and recording eight points in his 16 games. Selected by the Philadelphia Flyers 19th-overall in 2008, he’s had quite an interesting career before ending up in Sin City. His salary of $3.6MM made him expendable by Vancouver in the expansion draft, but looks like a relative bargain while providing solid minutes and experience to a young blueline.
An unrestricted free agent this summer, Sbisa could be a wanted man at the trade deadline this year thanks to his mobility, handedness and expiring contract. Though his salary is actually a bit higher than his cap hit, there will likely be plenty of teams looking for right-handed help come the New Year. If he can get healthy and continue to produce, the Golden Knights will have another hefty trade chip on their hands—even if possession metrics don’t like his game.
Goaltending Woes Continue For Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights were down to their fourth string goaltender when they went to Maxime Lagace on October 30th. Oscar Dansk had been the latest victim, following Marc-Andre Fleury and Malcolm Subban to the injured reserve list. Last night, Lagace was pulled after allowing seven goals on 29 shots and Dylan Ferguson saw his first NHL action. The fifth-string goaltender is just 19-years old and began the year in the WHL, but got to see his dream come true on the highest stage.
Now, John Shannon of Sportsnet tweets that Ferguson’s dream may not end so quickly. Shannon speculates that because of a possible Lagace injury, Ferguson could be forced to start on Thursday against the Vancouver Canucks. Lagace injured his back when Deryk Engelland fell on him (and put the puck in the Vegas net in the process) but stayed in the game as long as he could. There will likely be an update later on the situation from the Golden Knights at some point today.
Even if Lagace is healthy enough to gut out another game, it’s not like he’s been outstanding for the team. In eight appearances he has a .860 save percentage, a number that simply won’t cut it in the NHL. Interestingly though, Vegas has been hesitant to use any assets to acquire another goaltender, including cap space. Louis Domingue for instance had cleared waivers before being traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning, while Calvin Pickard was waived and then traded by the Golden Knights themselves. If Lagace is held out for any length of time, the team would have to sign or trade someone. Ferguson is the last goaltender under an NHL contract in the entire organization.
Vegas' Subban Begins Skating
- Vegas Golden Knights’ goaltender Malcolm Subban was spotted skating at City National Arena today, tweeted SinBin. Subban, who went down with a lower-body injury, was deemed out for four weeks on Oct. 22, so it looks like he might be on target for a return within the next couple of weeks. The team has been forced to use their fourth-string goaltender, Maxime Lagace, for the past two weeks as the team has been decimated by injuries to Marc-Andre Fleury, Subban and Oscar Dansk.
- Sticking with the Golden Knights, The Canadian Press’ Darren Haynes points out that Vegas defenseman Deryk Engelland has more points (2-7-9) than quite a few defensemen, including San Jose Brent Burns, Nashville’s Roman Josi and Calgary Mark Giordano. Engelland, who played for the old Las Vegas Wranglers of the ECHL earlier in his career and made Las Vegas his home from that point on, has never put up more than 17 points in a season. Always known as a defensive player, the 35-year-old has been reborn in Las Vegas, who is just eight points away from a career-year.
Vadim Shipachyov Retirement Official
According to Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Vadim Shipachyov‘s deal with the NHL is official. After a negotiation between the NHL and NHLPA, Shipachyov will retire from the league and pay back almost all of his $2MM signing bonus. He’ll move to the voluntary retirement list and his full contract will be cleared from the Golden Knights salary cap. His NHL rights will be retained by Vegas until he turns 35, but will now be allowed to seek out a new contract in the KHL.
The two sides didn’t seek a mutual termination, because Shipachyov would have first needed to pass through waivers and then could have technically been signed by another team in the league. Obviously, the Golden Knights didn’t want to lose the asset to another team for nothing, so a different agreement was made. Like Ilya Kovalchuk, Shipachyov’s retirement will keep him out of the NHL for at least five years though it’s more likely that he’ll never return. After three games and a single goal, the $9MM experiment is over. Interestingly, Vegas GM George McPhee admitted today that they did have a deal in place for Shipachyov to go somewhere else in the NHL, but the player didn’t want that. Shipachyov instead wished to just return to the KHL.
Whatever you think of how this situation was handled, at least Shipachyov can now return home to a league where he wants to play. He obviously didn’t want to suit up any longer in the AHL, and the Golden Knights clearly no longer had him in their top-6 plans up front. Incredibly though, he’ll actually go down with some impressive small-sample stats. Shipachyov scored just the lone goal, but attempted eight shots towards the net and actually won nine of 12 of the 21 draws he took. He’ll finish his three-game NHL career with positive possession stats and at 57% in the circle. Fans will be left wondering if that impact could have been carried out for the entire season, or if he wasn’t ever going to fit in perfectly with the North American game.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see him quickly sign with SKA St. Petersburg again, the team he helped to a Gagarin Cup victory last season. SKA is off to an incredible 28-1 record this season, led by Kovalchuk and Nikita Gusev with 36 points each. Gusev is a name Vegas fans should remember, as his NHL rights are also owned by the Golden Knights. They were acquired as part of the trade from Tampa Bay to get the Golden Knights to select Jason Garrison in the expansion draft, and will be a big story going forward. Gusev is just 25-years old, but has now watched his teammate and countryman go through a trying experience with the expansion team.
Gusev’s KHL contract isn’t up until April 2019, but there was some hope that he would terminate it early in order to jump to the NHL. A seventh-round pick because of the fear he would stay in Russia, Gusev is obviously talented enough to play in the NHL. Last season he scored 94 points in 75 games for SKA, and dominated the World Championships with 14 points in 10 games including a tournament-leading seven goals. You have to wonder how the Shipachyov situation will affect Gusev’s decision down the line.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Marc-Andre Fleury Nearing Return
The Vegas Golden Knights have been one of the most interesting stories of the year, with their goaltending situation being right at the forefront. While the Vegas net has seen the first NHL win of Malcolm Subban, Oscar Dansk and Maxime Lagace, it’s also been cursed with three goalies going down to injury in rapid succession. With Lagace now trying to shoulder the entire load on his own, cracks have started to form with losses in five out of six.
Fans won’t have to wait long before they see help arrive though, as today Marc-Andre Fleury hit the ice at their practice rink and could return within the next few days. Lending credence to that idea is a report from Marty Hastings of Kamloops This Week (h/t SinBin.vegas), who says that the Kamloops Blazers are expecting Dylan Ferguson back with the team this weekend. Ferguson, a WHL player, has been on the Vegas bench for several games backing up Lagace.
Fleury hasn’t played since taking a blow to the head in mid-October, but would provide an instant spark to a Golden Knights team that has cooled off considerably since their fast start. The team is still 9-5-1 and in second place in the wide open Pacific Division, but needs to get back to the grinding defensive wins that they started the year with. In seven of their first nine games they allowed two or fewer goals, but have accomplished that just once in their last six.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Minor Transactions: 11/08/17
Last night saw a full slate of games around the NHL, with 18 teams going at it all across the league. The Edmonton Oilers escaped New York with two points, while the Vegas Golden Knights continued their recent skid. Tonight, there are just three matchups to keep an eye on. Teams may use this off day to make some minor transactions, and as always we’ll keep track of them right here.
- The Montreal Canadiens recalled Byron Froese after their game last night, sending Michael McCarron back down to the minor leagues. McCarron played fewer than seven minutes for the Canadiens last night, and has been limited in every game he’s played so far. Perhaps Froese—who was actually named the first captain of the Laval Rocket recently—is a better fit for that fourth-line role.
- Alan Quine‘s conditioning stint has been terminated, meaning the New York Islanders will welcome him back from Bridgeport. The 24-year old forward scored once for the AHL team in four games, and will try to get back to the solid bottom-six player he showed last season as a rookie. In 61 games for the 2016-17 Islanders, he scored 18 points.
- With Alex Stalock expecting the birth of his second child, the Minnesota Wild have recalled goaltender Niklas Svedberg for their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight. Svedberg returned from the KHL this season and has been starting for the Iowa Wild, registering a .904 save percentage so far. He’ll backup Devan Dubnyk tonight.
- The Florida Panthers have reassigned forward Chase Balisy to Springfield of the AHL. This comes just two days after being recalled back on Monday although he did get into a game with the Panthers during this stint as he played just over ten minutes on Tuesday night against Carolina.
- After starting the season on season-opening reserve due to a concussion, the San Jose Sharks have activated forward Rourke Chartier and assigned him to the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda, reports Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News. Chartier had a strong rookie season with 35 points in 67 games with the Barracuda last year and will look to build on that once he gets the green light to play.
Vadim Shipachyov Still Waiting On Paperwork
We learned this weekend that the NHL and NHLPA have agreed on a resolution to the Vadim Shipachyov scenario, but still we haven’t been given anything official. According to Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, that’s because the two sides are still working on the paperwork to allow Shipachyov to “retire” from the NHL, with an official announcement not expected until Wednesday.
The deal will have Shipachyov pay back most of the $2MM signing bonus and leave the league, much like Ilya Kovalchuk did previously. His current contract will be voided, but the Golden Knights will retain his rights until he turns 35. That means, if he wants to make a comeback at some point he would need to sign a new deal with Vegas—which seems very unlikely after how this situation has played out.
It seems ever more likely that the one goal he scored this season will be the first and last he’ll ever tally in the NHL, a disappointing ending for a player who was expected to be one of faces of the league’s newest franchise. Now most of the intrigue surrounding Shipachyov will be whether he is selected to play for Russia in the Olympics, something he’s never done previously.
PHR Originals 10/29/17-11/05/17
The NHL rumor mill is on fire after the failed Kyle Turris–Matt Duchene trade, but there were plenty of other stories developed by the PHR staff this week. Here’s a recap on some of the pieces from this week:
Sutter: The Next Generation
Zach took a look at Riley Sutter, the latest entrant in a legendary hockey family. The young Sutter is climbing up draft boards as he tries to emulate the career of many relatives. Ron, Rich, Duane, Darryl, Brian, Brent, Brandon, Brett, Brody, Lukas, Shaun and now Riley. Family competition must be intense.
25-Year Old Freedom
Group VI free agency isn’t the ideal way for young players to hit the open market, but it does provide an opportunity to turn your career around. I took a look at a few players who have a chance to become free agents at the age of 25, and escape their current situation.
Motown Uncertainty
Nate examined if Jeff Blashill is really to blame in Detroit, or if the Red Wings’ problems are more deep-seeded. From the tone of the comments, fans are nearing their frustrating limit with the team after a sluggish start and no clear rebuild plan in place.
Free Agent Futility
After just a month of season, I took an early look at the big free agents from July 1. While the 2016 group had a disappointing start, this year’s class isn’t as clear cut. There hasn’t been a ton of team success from the big spenders, but individual efforts are about what was expected. At the end of the year, who will regret their spending spree most?
Polling The People
We ran a pair of polls this week, asking which coach is under the most pressure and which team was furthest from where they’ll eventually finish. PHR readers were pretty clear that Alain Vigneault should be watching his back in New York, while the Vegas Golden Knights were more mirage than miracle. Those Golden Knights are now 9-4, and likely scouting the local midget tournaments for goaltending help.
Chatty Cathy
I once again held my weekly live chat, and spoke about everything from Vadim Shipachyov to Deshaun Watson. Every Thursday evening we talk about anything you want—make sure to join us next week.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Vegas Will Control Shipachyov's Rights Until He's 35
- With Vegas Golden Knights’ Vadim Shipachyov filing voluntary retirement paperwork rather than having his contract terminated, Sportsnet’s Eric Engels tweets that Vegas will still retain Shipachyov’s NHL rights until the veteran turns 35 years of age. Many believe, however, that the 30-year-old center has no interest in returning to the NHL.
- Staying with the Golden Knights, the team picked up their ninth win of the season today, tying the 1980-81 expansion Winnipeg Jets, according to the Vegas Golden Knights. The team is just one win away from tying the inaugural Ottawa Senators.
Latest On Vadim Shipachyov
Saturday: The NHL and NHLPA have agreed on a solution that will allow Shipachyov to leave the Golden Knights and return to the KHL, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports. It’s expected that this will be finalized on Monday with Shipachyov filing voluntary retirement papers instead of going through the contract termination process.
Friday: The saga of Vadim Shipachyov still hasn’t come to any sort of conclusion, with the suspended forward back in Russia awaiting some sort of resolution in the fight over his contract. While he’s made his decision to leave the Golden Knights and their AHL team, Vegas has been looking for a guarantee that he won’t be claimed or re-sign with any other team in the league before they grant him a mutual termination.
Now, LeBrun reports on TSN’s Insider Trading that this is more than just a fight between Shipachyov and Vegas. Because Shipachyov would need to pay back almost all of his $2MM signing bonus—something that he’s apparently willing and able to do—the NHLPA is involved. The players’ union is “not big on players paying back bonuses” according to LeBrun, and don’t want to necessarily set a precedent like this.
None of this lends itself to the idea that Shipachyov will play in the NHL this season, but it certainly could take a little longer to get an official release. The 30-year old Russian center was a failure in Vegas, though he wasn’t given all that long of a leash in the first place. In just three games with the team, he scored one goal. Perhaps it will be the only one he’ll ever score as an NHL player.