Morning Notes: Okposo, Shattenkirk, Capitals
When Kyle Okposo was hospitalized last month, it was a scary moment for friends, family and fans of the Buffalo Sabres forward, unsure of exactly what had happened. John Vogl of Buffalo News has a heartening update though, saying that Okposo is still likely to be ready for training camp in September.
According to teammate William Carrier, Okposo had suffered a concussion and was receiving treatment for it, which according to other sources then led to a bad reaction to medication. Okposo would end up in the neuro-intensive care unit, but was released on April 7th.
- The Washington Capitals cleaned out their lockers today, and Kevin Shattenkirk was front and center talking to the media about his upcoming free agency. Though he told Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post that he’d talk to the Capitals first about a possible extension, he also admitted that he wants a bigger role wherever he goes. While the Capitals are likely losing Karl Alzner as well, it’s clear that Shattenkirk wouldn’t be the #1 on that team should he re-sign, which means he’s likely played his last game there for the time being. Which teams would be interested in making him their top defender is still up for debate, after an up-and-down playoff run.
- The rest of the Capitals also talked about their free agency, with T.J. Oshie, Justin Williams and Daniel Winnik all indicating their preference to return. Oshie especially will be a tough case, as he likely would enter the market as one of the top-3 free agents this summer. With the Capitals needing to re-sign several key restricted free agents, Oshie would be tough to fit into their cap structure.
Snapshots: Simek, Carey, AHL
While just today Jan Rutta‘s agent told us that his client was getting NHL offers, it seems that perhaps another Czech defender will soon sign. TSN analyst Ray Ferraro responded on Twitter to the fact that Vancouver GM Jim Benning is only watching games in Paris at the World Championships, saying that the most interesting players are Rutta and teammate Radim Simek. There have been reports floating around that Simek has already signed an NHL deal, and it is supported by his own words that he plans on coming across the Atlantic this season.
Ferraro seemed to agree with the idea that Simek was already signed, though still had no details on who the team is. The 24-year old is another puck-moving defender that can put up points and skate well enough to make the jump, though he didn’t have quite the offensive impact of Rutta or Jakub Jerabek (another Czech teammate) this season. While the Sharks are rumored in the above article as having scouted him this year, several teams likely have shown interest at the tournament.
- The Washington Capitals placed Paul Carey on waivers today, with the intent of sending him back to the Hershey Bears for the remainder of the AHL playoff run. Hershey will play game three in their series with the Providence Bruins later tonight after splitting the first two matchups. The addition of Carey will certainly help; he scored 55 points in 55 games this season for the Bears, and led the team in goals with 24.
- Speaking of the AHL, the league has announced re-alignment for next season. The Charlotte Checkers will be moving from the Central Division to the Atlantic, while several changes will hit the North. The Senators will now be based out of Belleville, ON while the Albany Devils are moving to the vacant Binghamton. The Devils were one of the worst-attended teams in the league despite their recent success. The St. John’s IceCaps will also be moving, heading closer to their parent team in Montreal. They’ll become the Laval Rocket for next season, and stay in the North Division.
Snapshots: Ovechkin, Sharks, Panik
While Alex Ovechkin has been the butt of many jokes since his Washington Capitals were once again eliminated in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs by the Pittsburgh Penguins, it turns out that it’s not just his pride that has taken a beating this spring. The superstar forward will not join Team Russia at the World Championships because of a lower-body injury. Ovechkin apparently had been taking “pain numbing injections” just to stay on the ice for the Capitals, possibly because of the low hit he took from Nazem Kadri in the first round.
Ovechkin has played in the World Championships an amazing twelve times over his career, and has always been willing to suit up for his country on the international stage. Dmitry Orlov and Evgeny Kuznetsov will join Team Russia for the tournament. The pair are both restricted free agents this summer, and will be a big part of the introspective offseason Washington has ahead of them.
- Henrik Lundqvist will also be attending the tournament to play for Sweden, who desperately need his help. The team is currently going with a duo of Viktor Fasth and Eddie Lack in net, a clear weakness on their otherwise impressive squad. With defenders like Victor Hedman, Jonas Brodin and Oliver Ekman-Larsson in front of him, Lundqvist should help the Swedes become a medal favorite if they weren’t already. He’ll also be joining brother Joel on the team, who is captaining this group.
- According to Paul Gackle of the Mercury News, the San Jose Sharks are getting close to new contracts with restricted free agents Joonas Donskoi and Melker Karlsson. The pair represent two of the Sharks’ biggest tasks for the offseason, along with decisions on Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau. Donskoi and Karlsson both didn’t perform up to the lofty expectations they had after their early success in the league, with just 17 and 22 points respectively. It will be interesting to see where they both land salary wise, as the Sharks have Brent Burns‘ extension kicking in along with upcoming deals for Martin Jones, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Tomas Hertl to contend with next summer.
- Richard Panik apparently was surprised by the Chicago Blackhawks’ first contract offer, and didn’t need to negotiate according to Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times. That offer was the two-year, $5.6M deal he signed earlier today, which will see the team keep a 20-goal man for under $3MM. Panik knows that playing with Jonathan Toews is likely the best scenario he’ll find anywhere in the league, but that he could earn a much bigger contract in two years when he hits unrestricted free agency. He’ll hit the open market at just 28, and if he has three 40-50 point seasons under his belt people will be lining up to hand him a long-term deal.
PHR Originals: Weekend Edition
Alongside breaking NHL news, ProHockeyRumors staff pen original and engaging work. This weekend brought pieces on individual teams’ expansion draft issues, offseason considerations, and free agency. In case you missed them, here are the top five original pieces published this weekend:
Blue Jackets Must Convince Hartnell to Waive NMC
The Columbus Blue Jackets had an excellent season spurred by the exciting play of several young forwards. The team faces a potential setback, however, if they lose one of those young players to the Vegas Golden Knights in the NHL expansion draft this summer. The biggest obstacle preventing the Blue Jackets from protecting all their young prospects is aging veteran forward Scott Hartnell. Hartnell has a No-Movement Cause, and the expansion draft rules require that any player with a NMC must be protected in the draft. That means that Columbus must protect Hartnell over one of its more promising younger players. The Blue Jackets can solve this issue by convincing Hartnell to waive his NMC.
Overseas Rumors: Miele, Zaar, Carey
The free agent frenzy is already underway for most of the major European hockey leagues and news of many teams’ interest in and pursuit of North American players has begun to make its way across the Atlantic. One move that seems to be more than just speculation is the reported signing of Philadelphia Flyers minor-leaguer Andy Miele by Swedish Hockey League team Malmö. Apparently, a deal is already in place between the two sides, Miele told Tony Androckitis of the AHL Blog “Highland Park Hockey”. Miele explained that the contract is voidable if he can negotiate a new deal with the Flyers, or AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley Phantoms, by June 25th and that “will be a conversation…that (they) will have”. However, as Androckitis points out, an extension seems unlikely when Miele did not get to play in one NHL game this season despite leading the Phantoms in scoring. The Flyers’ organizational depth will likely prevent Miele from making a significant difference at the highest level, which would probably drive down the value of an extension as well. The 2011 Hobey Baker winner, who also failed to make an impact with the Detroit Red Wings and Phoenix Coyotes in previous stops, is better off taking his talents overseas where he will likely be the Redhawks’ best player and be well-paid for his services. Miele, at 29 years old, has had a prolific minor league career with 368 points in 420 games and four AHL All-Star Game selections. It seems time that he take on a new challenge in his career.
- Potentially, Miele could be joined in Malmö by a fellow AHLer. Swedish winger Daniel Zaar, a 2012 sixth-round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets, is considering heading back home next season. The 23-year-old was a key part of the Cleveland (then-Lake Erie) Monsters run to a Calder Cup championship in 2015-16 and, though his goal total fell off significantly, had another successful AHL campaign this year. Altogether, Zaar has 73 points in 126 AHL games since coming to North America. Yet, like Miele, Zaar has not been given an opportunity to try his hand at the NHL level. Zaar had 9 goals and 18 assists in 55 games with Lulea of the Swedish League prior to joining the Monsters and, given some apparent development, should be capable of greatly increasing those numbers. Both Zaar and Swedish suitors understand that, as Blue Jackets beat reporter Mark Scheig reports that bids for the young scorer have already begun, with Malmö in the lead. Zaar seems highly likely to head back overseas this off-season unless Columbus makes a convincing argument that he’ll see ample NHL ice time in 2017-18.
- Although many have assumed that the Washington Capitals’ season is over, down 3-1 to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference semifinals, technically it isn’t. That hasn’t stopped Swiss club Lugano from publicly stating that they are interested In Caps forward Paul Carey, who skated earlier in the series even. However, Carey is not exactly an NHL regular. The 28-year-old, a four-year starter at Boston College, has largely failed to build on his collegiate success at the highest level. In 32 regular season games and four postseason games with the Colorado Avalanche and Capitals, Carey has just one goal and one assist. In the AHL, he has been much more successful, including recently wrapping up a career-best point-per-game 55-point season. However, with little chance of becoming a full-time NHLer, Carey could certainly be interested in making the jump overseas and the NLA is one of the top destinations. A Carey-Lugano connection, as rumored, would be a logical fit for both.
Capitals Have Four Of Top Eight Unrestricted Free Agents
The 2017 free agency class may not be the strongest, but the Washington Capitals have the most to gain (or more likely lose) if free agency doesn’t go their way. The Capitals, currently on the ropes, down 3-1, to the Pittsburgh Penguins (Game 5 tonight), have four of the top eight unrestricted free agents, according to Matt Larkin of the Hockey News, as he posts his Top-30 unrestricted free agents this summer.
Unlike previous years, Larkin writes that this year’s class falls short of firepower, which the scribe points out is bad news for the expansion Las Vegas Golden Knights, who get a 48-hour window to negotiate with any free agents before any other teams. Regardless, it’s the Capitals who will find themselves on the clock as defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk is listed as the number one free agent on the list, while winger T.J. Oshie is third. Defenseman Karl Alzner is ranked fifth, while veteran wing Justin Williams is eighth on their list.
Larkin adds that he believes the Capitals will only be able to ink two of those players and will be forced to let two go. Shattenkirk, who was acquired in a February trade from the St. Louis Blues for their playoff run, has struggled in the playoffs this year, but is listed first due to the fact that blueliners in the prime of their careers, who can play 20 minutes a night, are always rewarded. Whether Washington can keep him at a high price tag is the tough question.
The team is likely to do everything to sign Oshie, however. The 30-year-old winger has had a breakout season with Washington on the first line with Alex Ovechkin and Niklas Backstrom. He has tallied 59 regular-season goals in the two seasons he has played for the Capitals since being acquired by trade from the Blues.
The Capitals then have to look at Alzner, a rugged blueliner who at age 28, could get a large contract in a weak year of free agent defensemen, while Williams playoff success could make him a well-paid second-liner as well. The Capitals have to decide what priorities they have as it’s unlikely they can afford to keep all four players.
Montreal Canadiens veteran winger Alexander Radulov, who returned to the NHL last year after a long stint in the KHL, is ranked second on the list, although he has said he would like to resign with the Canadiens. Goaltender Ben Bishop is listed fourth on that free agent list and the 30-year-old netminder should be in high demand. Veterans Martin Hanzal (No. 6), Joe Thornton (No. 7), Radim Vrbata (No. 9) and Patrick Eaves (No. 10) round out the first ten on that list.
Morning Notes: Crosby, Ovechkin, Sabres Search
After skating on his own yesterday, Sidney Crosby was back at Penguins’ practice today in a regular jersey and looks poised to return to the lineup tomorrow night in Washington. If he does, it would be just five days since suffering a concussion due to Matt Niskanen‘s cross-check on Monday night. The idea of returning so quickly may be familiar to Penguins fans that remember Crosby’s first concussion. After being hit by David Steckel in the 2010-11 Winter Classic, Crosby would return just a few days later to face the Tampa Bay Lightning. After another (much less violent) hit from Victor Hedman, he’d lose the rest of the season and part of the next year.
While obviously if he’s returning it means that the Pittsburgh medical staff has signed off, returning so soon is still a risk for the Penguins’ captain. His history with head injuries is getting longer and longer, and there have been many instances around the league of players coming back too soon, only to have symptoms return. Here’s hoping that Crosby is 100% ready, and not being rushed back in order to give the Penguins a better chance for the Stanley Cup.
- The Washington Capitals will try Alex Ovechkin on the third line tomorrow, moving him down in an attempt to spread out their offense. Washington has only been able to score more than two goals once in the series, and even had trouble scoring in their first-round matchup with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Despite out-shooting their opponent consistently, the Capitals just can’t seem to find the back of the net. Putting Ovechkin with Lars Eller and Tom Wilson may seem like a desperation move, but perhaps it will spark something in the team as they fight for their playoff lives.
- The Buffalo Sabres GM search continues, and according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet (via a Chris Nichols transcription on FanRag) they have asked at least one candidate if they would be comfortable with the team installing a President of Hockey Operations after taking the job. As discussed this week, many around the league believe Buffalo should follow the design of teams like the Calgary Flames, who have an experienced GM sitting behind a less-experienced man holding the position. While Buffalo tried this with Pat LaFontaine at one point, disagreements led to the dissolving of the President position and Tim Murray retaining whole control.
Snapshots: Sabres, Madden, Stephens
The Buffalo Sabres interview list is up to six names now, after an Associated Press report from John Wawrow. Jason Botterill (PIT), Bill Guerin (PIT), Bill Zito (CBJ), Paul Fenton (NSH), Tom Fitzgerald (NJD), and Mike Futa (LAK) have all sat down with the Sabres leadership though a decision still hasn’t been made.
While Terry Pegula deals with his latest front office firing—this time of Doug Whaley of the Buffalo Bills—he says the Buffalo brain trust is close to making a final decision for the Sabres. One would expect the Sabres to put someone in place before the final decisions are made on the expansion draft protection lists, though they’ve already announced that Jeff Crisp will handle the entry draft. It is interesting to note that despite the expected interest, Julien BriseBois (Tampa Bay) and Norm Maciver (Chicago) don’t appear to have interviewed yet for the position.
- Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch confirms the report about Zito, and adds that AHL coach John Madden is a candidate to join Gerard Gallant behind the bench in Vegas next season. Madden was an assistant coach with Gallant in Florida for two seasons, before taking the job left vacant with the Cleveland Monsters by Jared Bednar when he left for Colorado. Gallant recently said that he’d have his assistants chosen and hired within the next month or so.
- The Washington Capitals have recalled Chandler Stephenson once again after allowing him to play the weekend back-to-back for the Hershey Bears. The AHL team ended up needing both games to eliminate the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and move on to their next matchup with the Providence Bruins, even getting a Stephenson assist on the opening goal Sunday. He’ll serve as insurance for the Capitals this week, as Hershey doesn’t open the next series until Saturday evening.
Eastern Notes: Shattenkirk’s Struggles, Shalunov
While the Washington Capitals have received nothing but praise from the press since they made their trade deadline deal to acquire veteran defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, his presence during the playoffs so far have been far from impressive. The veteran defenseman, who was picked up from the playoff-bound St. Louis Blues for a host of picks and players, including their 2017 first-round pick, has struggled in the playoffs with no goals and three assists in eight games this season. He also has a minus-seven rating in that span. Yesterday, he lost a race to 40-year-old Matt Cullen, which allowed the veteran to score a short-handed goal against the Capitals. Later, he took a delay of game penalty to allow Phil Kessel to score in the third period.
Coach Barry Trotz was also disappointed in the 28-year-old blueliner’s performance as he called him out this morning. “That’s not good enough for what we need in that third pairing right now. Minus-7 is hard to recover from,” Trotz said. Shattenkirk and defensive partner Brooks Orpik have struggled together as that third defensive line. In the first series against the Maple Leafs, the two allowed five goals in the series, the most of all the defensive pairings.
These mistakes have been costly enough with the Capitals now down two games and having to travel to Pittsburgh for the next two, but it also may not help him in the offseason when he is an unrestricted free agent, according to Adam Gretz of NBC Sports. While he will undoubtedly will receive a raise from his $2.592MM contract that ends this year, a good playoff performance or a long playoff run by Washington could have improved his value in the free-agency market. However, his struggles will likely not help him if things continue to stay the course.
So, if things don’t continue to improve, could Washington let Shattenkirk walk in free agency? Only time will tell.
- Chicago Blackhawks prospect Maxim Shalunov will not be coming to the NHL any time soon as the 24-year-old wing will sign a three-year contract with Sibir Novosbibitsk of the KHL, according to his agent Shumi Babayev yesterday, according to Scott Powers of The Athletic. That means the Blackhawks’ couldn’t bring Shalunov over to the U.S. before the 2020-21 season. He will, however, remain a Blackhawk as long as he stays on their resevered list. The fourth-round pick from the 2011 NHL draft is coming off a season in which he scored 19 goals for Sibir Novosbibitsk this past year. Babayev warned that Shalunov would cut off negotiations with the NHL a few weeks ago after the NHL announced that it would not restructure its season around the 2018 Olympic Games.
Snapshots: Holtby, Ritchie, Vrana
Washington’s Braden Holtby will get the start for Game 3 in Pittsburgh. He was yanked after surrendering 3 goals on just 14 shots through 2 periods. Philipp Grubauer didn’t fare much better, however, as he let in 2 of 9 himself in the final period. The decision to pull the reigning Vezina trophy winner was maligned following the game by commentators, such as the Washington Post’s Dan Steinberg who believed the move was “a sign of panic”. Holtby has struggled this post-season, not looking particularly strong in the first series against Toronto. His .911 save percentage these playoffs is certainly respectable but also easily his career low. It’s difficult to believe that his massive workload over the course of the season isn’t playing a factor in his drop-off in play. The netminder played an absurd 63 games this past season, which is difficult to defend from a coaching standpoint. His backup in Grubauer performed well above expectations, helping the duo capture the Jennings trophy. Additionally, the Capitals looked to be a lock for the post-season well before April, so why Holtby was subjected to yet another season of heavy lifting seems confusing. At least he didn’t play 73 games, like he did two seasons ago. One has to wonder if Carey Price, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Braden Holtby have all succumbed to fatigue to varying degrees, considering their individual struggles come playoffs. Regardless, Holtby will need to improve if Washington hopes to claw their way back into the series on the road.
- Anaheim forward Nick Ritchie and defenseman Sami Vatanen are both potential options for tonight’s game against Edmonton. Ritchie is out with the flu, and Vatanen has been out with an upper body injury since Game 1 versus Calgary in the last round. Both took the ice for the optional skate this morning, but no further information was provided. Vatanen had been replaced by Korbinian Holzer, who struggled in the season with a very poor 40.4 Corsi For percentage, taking a huge step backwards from the previous season in terms of driving possession. Ritchie had been replaced by Jared Boll, the heavy right-winger who accumulated an abysmal 39.3 CF% on the season – one of the league’s worst – to go along with his 0 goals through 51 games. The re-addition of Ritchie would be huge for a team that has had difficulty penetrating the wall that has been Cam Talbot.
- Washington prospect Jakub Vrana was scratched last night for the Hershey Bears. The 21 year-old left-winger is crafty with the puck and was projected to be an effective offensive force. The Czech has had trouble adjusting his style to the North American game, however. He was drafted 13th overall in 2014 and had a decent sophomore season when he played, earning 21 games up with the Capitals, notching 3 goals and 3 assists in that span. He was held pointless through 3 games in the Bears’ series against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Head coach Troy Mann was displeased with his unwillingness to engage physically and defend on the backcheck. His effort level is remarkably low for a prospect which was considered top-tier. Getting scratched at the AHL level of play doesn’t bode well for his future in the NHL, although stranger things have happened.