Appeal Hearing For Tom Wilson To Be Heard On Thursday
- Capitals winger Tom Wilson’s appeal hearing will be held on Thursday, reports Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston (Twitter link). Commissioner Gary Bettman will hear the appeal and if his 20-game suspension is upheld, it can further be appealed to the neutral arbitrator, Shyam Das, who made headlines earlier this week with the reduction of Austin Watson’s suspension. Wilson remains ineligible to play throughout the appeals process and will miss his fifth game tonight.
Axel Jonsson-Fjallby Isn't Currently Planning To Exercise European Assigment Clause
- Despite a Swedish report that Capitals prospect Axel Jonsson-Fjallby intends to exercise the European Assignment Clause in his contract, a team spokesman told Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post that the winger has no plans to return to Sweden at this time. The 20-year-old is in his first season in North America after playing with Djurgarden of the SHL last year and while there would certainly be a temptation to play at home, it likely wouldn’t bode too well for his NHL chances. He has suited up in a pair of games so far this season for Hershey of the AHL.
Alexei Emelin Turned Down Offer From Washington Capitals
Among the names that ended up without an NHL contract this summer, Alexei Emelin stood out given his full season of games with the Nashville Predators in 2017-18. Emelin ended up playing 76 games for the Predators, but found himself without a deal until accepting a three-year contract back in the KHL with Avangard Omsk. Now 14 games into the KHL season, Emelin has told Igor Eronko of Sport-Express that he did receive a contract offer from an NHL team after all. The Washington Capitals apparently offered the veteran defenseman a contract, but he rejected it because it was only for one season.
Emelin was once a feared defender for the Montreal Canadiens, who could lay an open ice hit as well as almost anyone else in the league. In his first season in the NHL after coming over from the KHL, he recorded 236 hits in just 67 games and quickly developed a reputation on the ice. That physical style eventually led to him becoming a top option for the Canadiens, playing more than 20 minutes per night, and earned him a four-year, $16.4MM contract extension. Montreal though decided that he wasn’t worth protecting at the expansion draft, and the Vegas Golden Knights picked and then quickly flipped the big defenseman to Nashville where he’d serve as insurance for Ryan Ellis‘ injury.
Even though that season in Nashville wasn’t disastrous, it wasn’t clear what the market for Emelin would be this summer. He obviously wasn’t a good option for any contending team’s top four, he wasn’t right handed, and his brand of physical hockey was being shifted away from—especially among defensemen. The fact that he obviously was looking for a multi-year contract isn’t surprising either, given his age of 32 and likely realization that it was his last chance for that kind of a contract. Returning home to the KHL was always an option, and if the Washington offer was the best he received in North America it’s clear why he’s no longer in the NHL.
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.
Snapshots: Kempny, Backes, Schmid
Washington Capitals defenseman Michal Kempny is on the mend. Kempny has yet to play this season due to a concussion – one he doesn’t even remember suffering – after ending up on the receiving end of a high hit from the St. Louis Blues’ Robert Bortuzzo. Bortuzzo was suspended for the Blues’ opening night match-up, but is already back in action for St. Louis. Kempny hopes to follow suit, telling NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti that he hopes to make his season debut on Wednesday. Kempny practice in full today and was feeling good, but admits the final call will come from head coach Todd Reirden. The Capitals have fared fine without Kempny, winning in blowout fashion against the Boston Bruins before falling in overtime to the rival Pittsburgh Penguins, but Kempny would be a welcome addition back to the Washington lineup. The 2017-18 trade deadline acquisition found instant chemistry on the team’s top pair with John Carlson and brings high expectations into the new season.
- The Bruins bounced back well from their beating at the hands of the Capitals on Wednesday, shutting out the Buffalo Sabres the next night with a rearranged forward lineup. However, WEEI’s Matt Kalman reports that the team is still not content with the play of Sean Kuraly as the third line center. The Bruins gave youngsters Jack Studnicka, Trent Frederic, and Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson – all recent high draft picks – the chance to win that job in training camp, but none could seize the opportunity. Kuraly began the year in the top nine by default, but has underwhelmed playing with both Ryan Donato and David Backes and Danton Heinen and Anders Bjork. As a result, Kalman states that the team is prepared to move Backes back to center, a position he has played infrequently since arriving in Boston two years ago, but almost exclusively played during his years in St. Louis. Kalman spoke to head coach Bruce Cassidy, who seemed optimistic about transitioning Backes back down the middle and his fit with Heinen and Bjork. It may not be a long-term solution, but should improve the contributions of the third line while the team continues to evaluate their options. The move would presumably return Kuraly back to the fourth line, where he and Noel Acciari starred last season and should again find success lining up with new additions Chris Wagner and Joakim Nordstrom.
- New Jersey Devils prospect goaltender Akira Schmid has reportedly had enough of North American junior hockey already, early on in the new campaign. Schmid, a fifth round pick in June, had joined the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes this year after developing in his native Switzerland. However, after failing to win the starter’s job and his first, disastrous appearance – Schmid allowed seven goals on 27 shots – he appears to be ready to move on. European news source “Sonntagsblick” reports that Schmid is set to return to the SCL Tigers of the NLA in Switzerland, the program in which he developed. Schmid is likely to make most of his appearances with Langnau, the team’s top junior program. The question now, after such a rough experience in North America, is how long it takes Schmid to return. The Devils hope that this setback doesn’t stunt the growth of their promising goalie prospect.
Metropolitan Notes: Namestnikov, Copley, Hagg, Sanheim
The New York Rangers and new head coach David Quinn sent an early message to forward Vladislav Namestnikov Saturday when the team benched him in favor of veteran Cody McLeod for today’s game against Buffalo. While Quinn said the move was meant more to reward the play of McLeod, it’s obvious the team’s new coach is sending a message to Namestnikov, according to New York Post’s Larry Brooks.
The scribe believes this is Quinn’s message to the team to play physical “in your face” hockey and not doing that, is unacceptable. Namestnikov didn’t make that adjustment in his game against Nashville on Thursday and hasn’t played physically all preseason. Enter McLeod, the 34-year-old veteran.
“Cody had a good camp, he played well, and I think he will bring a little more pace and energy to the group,” Quinn said before the optional morning skate. “This will give him a chance to continue to build off his camp. Vladdy and I had a good conversation. He’s still fighting his way through it.”
- The Athletic’s Chris Kuk, in a mailbag piece (subscription required) writes that while the Washington Capitals could have considered going after a backup goaltender in the waiver wire last week, the team’s No. 1 priority was going after a forward to replace the loss of Tom Wilson, who was suspended for 20 games. They did that when they claimed Dmitrij Jaskins. However, Kuk doesn’t believe the team would have gone after a goaltender anyway as they feel that starter Braden Holtby can take a bigger load early in the season as the team monitors the play of Pheonix Copley. If they feel at the trade deadline that Copley isn’t the answer, they can trade for one then.
- While the Philadelphia Flyers have little to worry about when it comes to offense when it has two players capable of putting up 30 goals in James van Riemsdyk and Wayne Simmonds, the team does have to worry about its defense. Even with two of the top young defenders on their roster in Shayne Gostisbehere and Ivan Provorov, the team really needs to develop second year players Robert Hagg and Travis Sanheim, according to Philly.com’s Sam Carchidi. Both players had their ups and downs last year. The physical Hagg started the season strong, but struggled as the season wore on, while Sanheim was sent to the AHL early on in the season last year and came back much improved. If the two can show some consistency this year, the Flyers chances of a playoff run could be much improved.
Tom Wilson Will Appeal Suspension
Friday: The NHLPA has officially filed an appeal on Wilson’s behalf which will be heard by Gary Bettman on an as yet undetermined date.
Thursday: As many expected as soon as the hefty 20-game suspension was handed out, Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson will appeal the decision. Head coach Todd Reirden confirmed as much to reporters today including Chris Kuc of The Athletic, after Wilson took part in the team’s Stanley Cup celebration before their season opener last night.
The Department of Player Safety gave Wilson such a long suspension because of his recent history, noting that no one had ever received supplementary discipline at such a high frequency. This is his fourth suspension in his last 105 games including both preseason and postseason, and the league clearly wanted to send a message to him that he needs to stop being involved in dangerous plays or risk his NHL career. Wilson has always played right on the edge, and though some may argue that this specific incident didn’t warrant such a long suspension he too often is involved in borderline plays.
For the Capitals, they would certainly like to see Wilson back on the ice sooner rather than later—despite their easy 7-0 win over the Boston Bruins last night. While huge offensive totals still may be out of his reach, the power forward is an integral part of their attack and balances out their lineup. Brett Connolly took his place next to Evgeny Kuznetsov and Alex Ovechkin last night, but would lengthen out the forward group if he could move further down.
It’s hard to imagine the league will actually reduce the decision, especially because Wilson has already had an in-person hearing to argue his case. If he doesn’t get it reduced, he’ll be forfeiting more than $1.26MM this season, meaning his entire base salary will be given to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Dmitrij Jaskin Had Asked For A Trade From St. Louis
- New Capitals winger Dmitrij Jaskin had been looking to get out of St. Louis for a while. Blues GM Doug Armstrong acknowledged to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Jaskin requested a trade following last season but that there were no takers at the draft and in the early stages of training camp. That led to him being waived where Washington picked him up and with Tom Wilson out for the first quarter of the season, Jaskin should have a chance to make a mark with his new organization. He has, however, been a healthy scratch in their first two games so far.
Jayson Megna Clears Waivers
Thursday: Megna has cleared waivers, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
Wednesday: The Washington Capitals have placed Jayson Megna on waivers, though the team announced that they will not loan him to the Hershey Bears right away should he clear. With the season just barely underway, the Capitals are likely hoping they can sneak the forward through the process to give them some added flexibility.
Megna, 28, suited up for just a single NHL game last season with the Vancouver Canucks, instead spending nearly the entire year in the minor leagues with Utica. That’s a familiar feeling for the undrafted forward, who has played many more AHL games than NHL ones in his professional career so far. Still, he may have a chance in Washington this season as the team doesn’t have quite the same center depth and is still pushed right up against the cap. With Tom Wilson‘s long suspension landing today, the team will have even less salary flexibility.
That’s where the versatile Megna could come into play, given that he earns just the league minimum on his one-year two-way deal. There’s obviously no reason to believe he could replace a player like Wilson, but he could give them legitimate NHL bottom-six minutes without costing very much. That is of course if he’s not claimed, given that there are several other teams in similar situations.
Tom Wilson Suspended Twenty Games
The NHL Department of Player Safety has made a statement. Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson has been suspended for twenty games following his illegal check to the head of St. Louis Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist. The league has clearly had enough of the repeat offender ending up involved in incidents like this, and will have him sit for nearly a quarter of the season. As the accompanying video explains:
Players who repeatedly violate league playing rules will be more severely punished for each new violation. Wilson was suspended on three occasions during the 2017-18 NHL season. On September 22nd, 2017 he was suspended for a late, high hit on Robert Thomas. Just two preseason games later, Wilson was again suspended, this time for boarding Samuel Blais. Seven months later, Wilson was suspended for an illegal check to the head of Zach Aston-Reese. This hit on Sundqvist occurred in only his 16th game since his last suspension, which was also for an illegal check to the head.
In short, including preseason and postseason games played, this is Wilson’s fourth suspension in his last 105 games—an unprecedented frequency of suspensions in the history of the Department of Player Safety.
Wilson will forfeit more than $1.26MM in salary for this suspension, though many are already expecting an appeal or grievance from the NHLPA. If it’s not shortened, Wilson will be out until the Capitals face the Chicago Blackhawks on November 21st.