Poll: Who Will Be The Odd Teams Out In The West?
Though the actual playoff match-ups are not yet set in the East, the eight playoff teams have essentially been locked in since January, due in no small part to the fact that for the first time in NHL history all eight teams to qualify for the postseason in one conference will do so with 100+ points on the year. The Western Conference has been more wide open and with just over a week remaining in the regular season, there are still several playoff spots left unclaimed. While the Colorado Avalanche clinched a spot more than two weeks ago and the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild, and St. Louis Blues have since followed (the latter two are the only known first-round series thus far), the final spot in the Pacific Division and the two Western wild card berths remain available.
The Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars currently occupy the wild card positions and the Los Angeles Kings sit in third in the Pacific. Will the status quo prevail over the remaining slate of regular season games? The Vegas Golden Knights remain in the hunt for all of these spots and certainly have the talent on paper and the pre-season expectations to keep things interesting. The Vancouver Canucks are still in the mix as well, but realistically only for a wild card spot. It would require an incredible run to end the year coupled with some help, but it certainly isn’t impossible.
Los Angeles Kings
Currently: 42-27-10, 94 points (.595) – third in the Pacific
Remaining Games: vs. ANA, @ SEA, @ VAN
Key Note: The Kings are on a three-game winning streak and need just a win on Saturday night and a Vegas loss on Sunday to lock up the Pacific. Given the caliber of their remaining schedule, the Kings appear to be in good shape – they always have the wild card to fall back on as well.
Nashville Predators
Currently: 44-28-5, 93 points (.603) – fourth in the Central, first wild card
Remaining Games: @ TBL, vs. MIN, vs. CGY, @ COL, @ ARI
Key Note: The Predators have the best points percentage and goal differential of the teams still fighting for a playoff spot. Nashville should a playoff team, but needs to play like one down the stretch with four very difficult match-ups remaining.
Dallas Stars
Currently: 43-30-5, 91 points (.583) – fifth in the Central, second wild card
Remaining Games: vs. SEA, vs. VGK, vs. ARI, vs. ANA
Key Note: Dallas is slumping at the wrong time, dropping three in a row heading into Saturday. Other than a critical clash with Vegas, they could not have asked for an easier end to the year with a homestand and several easy opponents. If they can’t clinch a playoff spot with this slate, they probably don’t belong there anyhow.
Vegas Golden Knights
Currently: 42-31-5, 89 points (.571) – fourth in the Pacific
Remaining Games: vs. SJS, @ DAL, @ CHI, @ STL
Key Note: The Knights have just as many wins as the Kings and in fewer games; overtime results are all that separate the talented team from a divisional playoff spot. The unclear situation in net is certainly a potential make-or-break issue for Vegas, but if the team should still have a good chance against two non-playoff teams and a playoff team who should be taking the night off in their regular season finale. The decision against Dallas could ultimately decide Vegas’ fate.
Vancouver Canucks
Currently: 38-29-11, 87 points (.558) – fifth in the Pacific
Remaining Games: @ CGY, vs. SEA, vs. LAK, @ EDM
Key Note: Losing is no longer an option for Vancouver, but it might not be anyway. The Flames are locked into their playoff spot and the Oilers and Kings will likely be as well by the time they face the Canucks later in the week; these teams lack purpose in their current match-ups and the Kraken should be a win regardless of the effort level. If Vancouver can take advantage of these situations, perhaps they still have a chance.
What do you think? Who will finish the job and who will be left on the outside looking in?
Maintenance Day For Robin Lehner, Team Hopes He'll Be Available To Play Sunday
- Following Friday’s confusion of reports suggesting Robin Lehner was out for the season while Vegas head coach Peter DeBoer stated he expected the netminder at practice today, the Golden Knights issued a statement indicating that Lehner won’t skate today as he takes an additional maintenance day. However, the team remains hopeful that will be available to play tomorrow against San Jose. This strange situation will drag out a little longer as a result.
Robin Lehner To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery
1:57 PM: Coach Pete DeBoer has added some mystery to the situation. Despite ESPN’s reporting and corroboration from other media sources, when asked about Lehner’s situation DeBoer stated that the reports of Lehner undergoing season-ending surgery are not accurate “to his knowledge.” He said that he expects Lehner to be at practice tomorrow. This is certainly an unexpected development, and a situation that we will keep updating as more information becomes available.
1:11 PM: As the Vegas Golden Knights look to make the playoffs over this final stretch of the season, they now will have to do so without their starting goaltender. ESPN’s Emily Kaplan has reported that Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner‘s season is over, as he has opted to undergo surgery for a major knee injury he suffered against Philadelphia last month. Lehner had attempted to play through that injury over the past month but has finally made the choice to end his season to get started on the recovery process.
This was the 30-year-old Lehner’s first season as the Golden Knights’ unquestioned starting goalie thanks to the offseason departure of Marc-Andre Fleury, and Lehner finishes his season having posted mixed results. His .907 save percentage over 44 games played ranks 30th in the NHL, and his inconsistency has been a factor in the Golden Knights’ struggles this season. He has had games where he has shown the brilliance that made him a Vezina Trophy finalist in 2018-19, but has also had games where he has looked off and struggled to make expected saves. The Golden Knights are committed to him financially, as he holds a contract worth $5MM against the cap through 2024-2025, but coach Pete DeBoer’s comments and Lehner’s struggles to fill Fleury’s shoes leave questions about his long-term future in Vegas’ crease.
With Lehner out, the fate of the Golden Knights’ season now rests in the hands of goaltender Logan Thompson. The undrafted Thompson, 25, has earned the trust of coach Pete DeBoer in recent weeks and has posted a sterling .920 save percentage in 15 games this season. While the former Brandon Wheat King was stopping pucks in the ECHL as recently as 2019-20, it is his rapid rise through the ranks of Vegas’ organization that has put him in this position. He posted a .943 save percentage in 23 games last season for the Henderson Silver Knights and has a .920 in games at that level this season. Given the lofty expectations surrounding the Golden Knights, the entire organization has to be hopeful that Thompson can continue that run of success into Vegas’ next four games and save their season.
Reilly Smith Could Return In Playoffs For Golden Knights
- Speaking of being back in the playoffs, Vegas Golden Knights head coach Pete DeBoer told reporters including Jesse Granger of The Athletic that if they make the postseason, he would expect Reilly Smith to return at some point. The 31-year-old Smith hasn’t played since early March and was moved to long-term injured reserve a few weeks ago. The Golden Knights, however, are no sure thing to make the playoffs at this point, as they currently sit four points behind the Nashville Predators for the final wild card spot (but only three behind Los Angeles for a divisional position).
No Supplementary Discipline For Keegan Kolesar
- Golden Knights winger Keegan Kolesar will not face any supplementary discipline from the league for his hit on Flames defenseman Christopher Tanev on Thursday, reports David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He was initially assessed a major penalty on the play but after review, it was overturned to a two-minute minor. The league is believed to have reviewed the incident but it was ruled that the head was not the principal point of contact so they’ve deemed that no further discipline is needed.
Mark Stone Set To Return; Carrier, Patrick, Brossoit Moved To LTIR
Mark Stone is officially playing tonight, and cap gymnastics have ensued for the Vegas Golden Knights. Forwards William Carrier, Nolan Patrick and goalie Laurent Brossoit, who have all missed significant time with injuries, have been moved to long-term injured reserve to permit Vegas to remove Stone’s $9.5MM cap hit from LTIR.
All three players must miss at least 10 games AND 24 days in order to be eligible for LTIR, starting from the retroactive date of placement. Their eligibility dates are as follows:
Carrier is out with a leg injury, and his LTIR placement is retroactive to March 26, 2022. He is eligible to return on April 24 against the San Jose Sharks.
Patrick is out with an undisclosed injury, and his LTIR placement is retroactive to March 24, 2022. He is eligible to return on April 20 against the Washington Capitals.
Brossoit it out with an undisclosed injury, and his LTIR placement is also retroactive to March 24, 2022, so he is also eligible to return on April 20.
Now, whether these players can actually return is uncertain. The most likely to return during the regular season is Carrier, who was classified as day-to-day. The others had an unknown timeline on their injury. Even if they can return, though, it will require yet another round of cap gymnastics to activate them prior to the playoffs. With only a week left in the regular season after April 20th, however, it’s likely all three are done for the regular season.
With Stone back in the lineup, though, the Knights finally have a chance to showcase what could end up as the best line in hockey with him, Jack Eichel, and Max Pacioretty. It’s a giant boost to an already surging team who looks poised to dethrone the Los Angeles Kings for the third playoff spot in the Pacific Division.
Snapshots: Seattle-Winnipeg, McGinn, Brown, Stone
The NHL has postponed tomorrow’s game between the Seattle Kraken and Winnipeg Jets due to inclement weather heading toward the Manitoba area, rescheduling the match for May 1. That is the day before the playoffs are set to begin, another sign of just how difficult it would be for the Jets to make the postseason at this point. The team is currently only five points behind the Dallas Stars for the final wild card position, but have played two more games (leaving just eight remaining in their season) and are still dealing with the Vegas Golden Knights in between.
For Seattle, there hasn’t been any hope of the playoffs for a while now, but there are certainly things to get excited about. Matty Beniers will make his NHL debut tonight after signing his entry-level contract, giving fans the chance to see the first draft pick in franchise history.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have activated Brock McGinn off injured reserve, bringing him back after more than a month on the shelf. McGinn, 28, has 11 goals and 18 points this season through 56 games for the Penguins, but adds another level of depth for a roster that is still trying to improve their playoff position. The Penguins sit six points behind the New York Rangers in the Metropolitan, with just eight games left to play.
- Dustin Brown has also been activated, this time by the Los Angeles Kings, giving the team a huge boost after yesterday’s announcement that Drew Doughty would miss the rest of the season. While the 37-year-old isn’t the player he once was, Brown can still contribute and has 25 points in 57 games this season. More importantly, he’s a two-time Stanley Cup champion and extremely important member of the leadership group in Los Angeles, who are headed to the playoffs should they be able to hold onto that Pacific Division spot.
- Mark Stone is a game-time decision for the Golden Knights, though it means they will have to make several other roster transactions if they want to activate him from long-term injured reserve. As CapFriendly points out, even loaning every eligible player to the minor leagues wouldn’t clear enough space, meaning someone else would have to be transferred to long-term injured reserve (or, technically they could make a trade, though that brings other complications) for Stone to be activated.
Brendan Brisson, Thomas Bordeleau Sign AHL Tryouts
Another pair of top college prospects have turned pro, as Brendan Brisson has signed a tryout agreement with the Henderson Silver Knights and Thomas Bordeleau has signed one with the San Jose Barracuda. Notably, both players would not be eligible to be assigned and play with the Silver Knights had they signed entry-level contracts with the Vegas Golden Knights and San Jose Sharks respectively, so this is a way to get some AHL games first. At any point, the NHL squads could sign them and insert him into the lineup, should they have the cap space to carry the extra contract. If not, entry-level deals for 2022-23 will likely follow.
Brisson and Bordeleau are both Michigan standouts, and more Wolverines to leave the program behind in the last few days. They follow the likes of Matty Beniers, Owen Power, and Kent Johnson to professional hockey, though they won’t jump directly into the NHL lineup like their former teammates.
Selected 29th overall in 2020 Brisson, 20, has taken a clear step forward in each of his post-draft seasons. As a freshman for Michigan in 2020-21, he recorded 21 points in 24 games, while helping the U.S. take home gold at the World Juniors. This year, his offense exploded, with 21 goals and 42 points in 38 games, just barely coming in behind Beniers for the team lead. He was also selected to the U.S. Olympic team, where he scored twice in four games.
A tireless worker and creative play-driver, Brisson can generate opportunities for himself and his linemates with equal frequency. Returning to college likely would have put him in the conversation for the Hobey Baker or at least the national scoring race but there wasn’t a lot of extra development necessary for him to make an impact at the professional level. He should do that right away for the Silver Knights, who have seven games left in the regular season but have already clinched their spot in the Pacific Division playoff race.
Bordeleau, 20, was the 38th pick in 2020 and took a similar path, though his freshman season was even more impressive with 30 points in 24 games. This season he had 37 in 37, finishing third among Michigan forwards and fourth overall. Unfortunately, Bordeleau was robbed of two different opportunities to play at the World Juniors thanks to COVID testing; one year it was his positive result, another his roommate’s. It was actually when several of his teammates left for the Olympics that his game really rounded into form, given more responsibility and ice time. He’ll likely get that same opportunity in the coming years in San Jose, should he see extended time in the minor leagues.
A natural center that can fit any role, Bordeleau may end up topping out as a middle-six option at the NHL level. But with his offensive upside, work ethic, and penalty killing ability, there’s a long professional career ahead of him. That starts, for now at least, with the Barracuda, who are unfortunately only going to play a few more games this season. They’re last in the Pacific and are not going to make the playoffs, with just five games remaining on the schedule.
Vegas Golden Knights Activate Max Pacioretty
As The Athletic’s Jesse Granger reports, the Vegas Golden Knights have activated forward Max Pacioretty off of injured-reserve ahead of tonight’s game against the Arizona Coyotes. No corresponding move, if any, has been announced yet. Pacioretty last played on March 11th.
Adding Pacioretty back into the lineup will be a huge boost for a Vegas team that has been struggling in the second half of the season, and is now fighting for a spot in the playoffs. Despite the struggles, Vegas has been hot as of late, winning five of their last six games. Currently, they sit two points back of the Dallas Stars and four points back of the Nashville Predators for the second and first Wild Card spots, respectively, in the Western Conference with ten games remaining, though Dallas and Nashville each have a game in-hand on Vegas.
Pacioretty has struggled with injuries this season, playing in just 29 games. However, when he has played, the veteran goal scorer has dominated, tallying 15 goals and 14 assists in those 29 games. With Vegas still needing nearly $4.5MM in cap space to activate Mark Stone off of LTIR, having Pacioretty back in the lineup could provide the offensive punch the team needs to make a final push down the stretch and jump Dallas and Nashville in the standings.
Golden Knights Place Two On LTIR
The Golden Knights have added a bit of cap flexibility as CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that defenseman Nicolas Hague and center Brett Howden have been transferred to LTIR. Both players were injured last month and the placements have been dated retroactive accordingly – Hague to March 15th and Howden to March 21st. With the designations, both players have to miss at least 10 games and 24 days from the placement which means Hague is pretty close to being eligible to return already.
The moves boost Vegas’ usable LTIR space to just over $5MM which gives them enough flexibility to bring other players up from AHL Henderson if need be. The Golden Knights have an extra forward and defenseman on the roster already so no further reinforcements are necessary and if they did call someone up, it would count towards one of their four post-deadline regular recalls since they’re not in an emergency situation.
However, it’s worth noting that they’re still well short of being able to free up the money to activate winger Mark Stone off LTIR; they’re still $4.45MM short of that. Of course, they tried to preemptively free up some space at the trade deadline with the since-invalidated Evgenii Dadonov trade and would need to try to make a similar move if Stone becomes ready to return. That said, they now have enough room to activate winger Reilly Smith if and when he is cleared to play which would give the Golden Knights a boost offensively as they look to get back into the playoff picture although it would basically end Hague and Howden’s regular seasons as well; there is no set timetable for them to return.
The salary cap limits expire at the end of the regular season which is still three weeks away and it looks as if the Golden Knights will be tap-dancing around that until the final buzzer sounds.