Snapshots: Gilbert, Schmaltz, Vrbata
When Tom Gilbert was traded from Los Angeles to the Washington Capitals just over a week ago, it was a step in the right direction for the veteran defenseman. Gilbert had played just 18 games for the Kings and was clearly not in their plans after sending him through waivers to the AHL. He told Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post as much and admitted that coming to Washington was very exciting for him. The Capitals acquired him mostly as injury depth, as he is still playing at the AHL level. But perhaps his coming East will pay off already.
Matt Niskanen was taken out of last night’s game with a lower-body injury, and though it doesn’t seem to be serious it is a sign of how close Gilbert is to having to play a vital role on the best team in the NHL. The Capitals already have just two right-handed defensemen—Niskanen and John Carlson—and use Nate Schmidt on his off-side with Brooks Orpik. If either of Niskanen or Carlson went down it would open a gaping hole on the Caps back end, one that Gilbert would gladly step into. Remember that though it was a long time ago, Gilbert was once a 45 point defenseman, capable of moving the puck with the best of them. It’s nice to have depth.
- It’s a dream come true for Chicago Blackhawks winger Nick Schmaltz as he plays alongside Jonathan Toews. Schmaltz had three points last night and looks to be finding a nice groove on the wing of the resurgent Toews. In his rookie season Schmaltz has just 14 points in 41 games, but six of those have come in the last five as he’s gotten a nice icetime bump. Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times writes in his latest column that the Blackhawks may have found an answer long-term on the captain’s wing. It doesn’t hurt that both are from the University of North Dakota and have taken a very similar path to the NHL.
- If you consider Schmaltz a long-term piece on the top line, then how do you fill the other side? Is Richard Panik really the answer beside Toews? Craig Morgan of FanRag Sports has his doubts, and suggests a former Hawk should make his way back to the Windy City. Radim Vrbata is available at the deadline, and with his ridiculously low cap-hit of just $1MM, Chicago could likely afford him for the final part of the season. The veteran winger has 41 points this season and has rebounded well from the worst year of his career.
Snapshots: Laich, Vermette, Bye Weeks
Brooks Laich isn’t happy. He’s making more than $4MM, playing in Toronto on a young team that has had a lot of recent success. The only problem is that it isn’t the Toronto Maple Leafs, it’s the Marlies. He’s been stuck in the AHL all season, and after telling The Athletic yesterday that he would like to be sent somewhere else if he wasn’t in their plans, he was placed on waivers today by the club. James Mirtle, the Editor-in-Chief of The Athletic penned a piece today that contained quotes from Laich’s agent, explaining that his client still believes he can contribute at the NHL level and deserves to have that chance.
Well he’s under contract. He’s not going to break the contract. He’s committed. [But] he’d like to be moved to a team that can use him and help that team make a run for it. Obviously Toronto is trying to fulfill that request.
It’s a tricky situation as Mirtle points out, because if Toronto were to trade him and retain half his salary, it would actually be a bigger cap-hit than leaving him buried in the minors. That’s not something a team does just to be nice, regardless of how much space they might have. It’s unfortunate that it has come to this for the former Washington Capitals forward, after he made such an excellent impression on the team and fan base last spring when he arrived .
- John Shannon of Sportsnet reports that the appeal of Antoine Vermette‘s 10-game suspension will happen on Thursday at 2pm in New York. The Ducks will be on their mandated bye-week following Saturday’s upcoming game against the Los Angeles Kings, which will encompass the trade deadline. The team because of Vermette, needs help up front as we outlined yesterday in the Ducks’ deadline primer. If the suspension is reduced, the Ducks will welcome Vermette back with open arms and could move Rickard Rakell back to the wing.
- Speaking of bye-weeks, it seems like the NHL isn’t happy with the much-publicized struggles of team’s coming back from them. Bill Daly was on TSN 1040 this afternoon discussing the possibility of having just two periods and splitting the teams in half instead of having them throughout the season. Daly said there have been concerns over this season’s schedule from pretty much every important group involved in the NHL, from the owners to the players. If the tweak goes through, teams will play each other coming off the bye-weeks, instead of going up against a squad that doesn’t have any rust. The 4-12-4 record for teams’ first game back off the bye—which includes one win from the Maple Leafs over the Rangers after they both ended their time off—is a clear sign that there was a competitive imbalance to the way things were scheduled this year.
20 Teams Interested In College Free Agent Neal Pionk
The NHL is a different place in 2017. With the advancement of analytics and systems, the increased speed and skill, and almost-extinction of the “goon” it’s like a whole new sport. Now, if you’re smaller than the prototypical center, or defenseman you have a chance in the NHL. You no longer have to be a hulking beast capable of rubbing people off the puck in the corners or protecting your star player with your fists. Or at least that’s what one college player is hoping.
Neal Pionk was passed over in his draft year due to his small size—5’11”, 170-lbs on the most generous of measurements—but is turning heads with his strong play at the University of Minnesota-Duluth as a sophomore. After scoring 17 points in an up-and-down rookie season, Pionk has 24 points in 30 games and is showing that he may be able to compete at the next level after all. Craig Custance of ESPN reports that as many as 20 teams have expressed interest in the Bulldog, including the expansion Vegas Golden Knights, who can sign college free agents in March like any other team (provided their final expansion payment goes through without a hitch).
Pionk attended the Washington Capitals development camp in 2015 before heading to school. It will be interesting to see if Washington will be back in the mix to sign him when his season ends. The right-handed defenseman likely has so many suitors because not only does he possess the puck-moving skill that usually accompanies the smaller defenseman at this level, but also has a slight nasty streak that leads him to physically challenge opposing forwards as well. Some might liken his play to Connor Carrick of the Toronto Maple Leafs (and previously those same Washington Capitals), who doesn’t let his height dictate the type of game he plays.
While this year’s crop of NCAA free agents doesn’t have a huge name leading the way, players like Pionk can still be valuable assets to any team. Look for Vegas to go hard after several of them as it tries to add depth to a system that will have very little of it to start. The Minnesota native is already 21 (and will turn 22 in July), meaning he’ll have to adapt quickly to the increased difficulty of the AHL and beyond, but if that many teams are interested, he’ll likely have a fighting chance.
Minor Transactions: 02/21/17
As always, we’ll keep track of all the day’s minor transactions right here:
- The Washington Capitals have made a dream come true today, calling up forward Travis Boyd for the first time in his professional career. Boyd has been playing for Hershey for two seasons since signing out of the University of Minnesota in 2015. A skilled forward, Boyd has 96 points in his 131 career AHL games, a big number for a former sixth-round pick. Whether he gets into the lineup right away is still to be seen, but he will definitely add some offense when he does.
- The St. Louis Blues have sent both Ivan Barbashev and Magnus Paajarvi down to the Chicago Wolves to get into some action during their bye-week. The Blues don’t play again until Sunday, meaning that the two youngsters can keep playing during the break and come back up this weekend.
- After acquiring Michael Stone yesterday, the Calgary Flames have cleared a roster spot by sending Garnet Hathaway to the AHL. The young winger has played 26 games in Calgary this season, scoring just five points.
- In response to the same deal, the Arizona Coyotes have brought up Anthony Deangelo according to Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post. The young defender is the same one that was suspended three games earlier this season for abuse of an official. The former first-round pick has played 20 games for the Coyotes this season, scoring nine points. An exceptional offensive talent, DeAngelo will slot nicely into the spot Stone has left vacant.
Make sure to keep this page bookmarked, as it will be updated throughout the day.
Red Wings Notes: Burnside, Zetterberg, Ott, Larkin
Count ESPN’s Scott Burnside as an impressed realist. Burnside notes that while the Red Wings are “cooked” and still sitting dead last in the Eastern Conference, they put on an impressive show when they beat the Washington Capitals Saturday and the Pittsburgh Penguins yesterday. Burnside reiterates that the Red Wings are all but out of the race, but that the fanbase should take solace in the fact that with its team showing such fight, the future isn’t so bleak after all. Petr Mrazek, in general, posted two strong games, and should Detroit improve its blue line, their return to prominence may not take as long as it could.
In other Red Wings news:
- The Detroit News’ Ted Kulfan writes that captain Henrik Zetterberg is anything but done as he leads the team in points and continues to cobble together quality games despite the Red Wings’ struggles. Head coach Jeff Blashill is quoted as saying that with Zetterberg’s struggles as last year’s season wore on, he was prepared to slash the captain’s ice time. But this season hasn’t seen that fall. Zetterberg’s 45 points (13-32) are just five short of his total last season, and that’s impressive being that last season included Pavel Datsyuk on the roster. In the face of challenges not seen in over 25 years, the captain has still carried the team.
- Kulfan continues, complimenting the play of forward Steve Ott, who added a goal and an assist of his own in yesterday’s victory over Pittsburgh. He quotes Blashill as saying that Ott “has a way about him in the locker room and he’s an asset to a hockey team.”
- On the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of age and productivity, center Dylan Larkin has seen a dip in ice time due to some of his struggles writes the Detroit Free Press’ George Sipple. He reports that Larkin has played less than 12 minutes in his past three games, and Blashill states that its more of Larkin not being on the ice for power plays and penalty kills than punishment. The bench boss, does, however offers words for improvement, saying that the 20-year-old center needs to work on his stopping “all over the ice” to earn the trust from his coach–which leads to more ice time. Sipple adds that Blashill indicated that after a few talks with the young forward, it has already improved.
Snapshots: Vegas, Howard, Flyers
As the March 1st trade deadline approaches, so does the start of the Vegas Golden Knights capacity to make deals around the league. While he won’t be able to make any moves for active players, he can start shaping the future of the Golden Knights in just over a week. Michael Russo of the Star Tribune caught up with Vegas GM George McPhee and talked to him about the kind of team he’d like to build.
I’ve built high-flying teams in the past, offensive, entertaining teams and would like to do the same thing. What we do with the expansion draft hasn’t been settled yet because until we see the entire universe of what teams want to do, who they want to protect and expose, we don’t know which way we’re going to go.
Indeed, McPhee did build the high-flying Washington Capitals that featured some of the highest goal totals in recent memory. If he constructs the Vegas team the same way, it will be fun to watch at the very least as it likely struggles through its first few seasons. If McPhee wants speed, perhaps a certain Colorado Avalanche centerman who is on the block would be of interest this summer.
- Jimmy Howard, out since before Christmas with a sprained MCL was seen taking shots today before practice by Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News. Howard—who turns 33 on March 26th—carries a hefty cap hit and two more years on his contract. While the Red Wings would love to move him for some cap relief, he’ll have to get back onto the ice and prove the start of his season wasn’t a fluke.
- Chris Johnston of Sportsnet tells us that Hall of Fame winger and current Kings’ President of Business Operations Luc Robitaille has taken over as chairman of the board for Eisbären Berlin, a German hockey team that plays in the DEL. While under Robitaille’s leadership, the Los Angeles Kings played in Berlin back in 2011 when the NHL was testing out different markets with regular season games.
- Sam Cardichi of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports on the Flyers and their quickly sinking ship going into the deadline. After benching Andrew MacDonald in a Sunday night win over the Vancouver Canucks, the team is looking to get Michael Del Zotto more ice-time and are still considering their options for the trade deadline. Cardichi includes he thinks the team will be in sell mode come March 1st.
Afternoon Transactions: Oilers, Hurricanes, Blues, Wild, Capitals
Assorted transactions from around the NHL this afternoon:
- The Oilers announced (via Twitter) that they have assigned defenseman Jordan Oesterle to the Bakersfield Condors. The 24-year-old was recalled to the NHL earlier this month. In two games with the Oilers this season, Oesterle hasn’t recorded a point, although he has compiled three goals and 15 assists in 26 AHL games.
- The Hurricanes announced that they have recalled forward Phil Di Giuseppe from the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL. The 23-year-old has recorded one goal and one assist in 18 games with the Hurricanes this season, and he’s collected 20 points in 33 games with the Checkers.
- The Blues have assigned forward Kenny Agostino to the AHL, reports Norm Sanders of the Belleville News-Democrat (via Twitter). The former fifth-rounder has played in seven games with St. Louis this season, compiling one goal and two assists. In 48 AHL games, Agostino collected 18 goals and 42 assists.
- The Wild announced that they have returned right winger Alex Tuch back to Iowa of the AHL. Minnesota’s first round pick (18th overall) back in 2015 has played in six games with the big club this season, being held off the scoresheet while averaging 10:42 of ice time per night. He’s having a strong rookie year at the minor league level though, scoring 12 goals and 13 assists in 36 games with Iowa.
- The Capitals announced they assigned center Jakub Vrana to Hershey of the AHL. He was recalled on Friday but didn’t play over the weekend. The 20 year old has a goal and two assists in 12 games with the Capitals this season and has put up 25 points in 33 games with Hershey. Washington is off until Wednesday and there’s a good chance they’ll recall Vrana before that time but they will save a bit of cap space in the meantime by sending him down for a few days.
Alexander Radulov Seeking Long-Term Deal
On Hockey Night In Canada between the second and third periods in the Ottawa-Toronto game, Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet reported that Montreal Canadiens forward Alexander Radulov is seeking a long-term deal that could be up to as many as six years. The Canadiens don’t necessarily want to go that long, but may do it if the AAV drops a bit. 
Kypreos mentioned the possibility of a short-term deal with a much higher salary, even as much as $7MM on a three-year deal. We listed Radulov at #2 on our ranking of the Top Midseason Free Agents, and it’s clear that he would have multiple suitors should he hit the open market again this summer.
For what it’s worth Washington Capitals head coach Barry Trotz, who maintains a friendship with Radulov from his days in Nashville, recently said that he would be “shocked” if Montreal and the Russian forward didn’t come to some sort of an agreement. Trotz said that Radulov loves it in Montreal, and if he is looking for a long-term deal he may be there for a while yet.
Montreal has a few contracts coming off the books next year, including David Desharnais and Andrei Markov but also will need to re-sign Alex Galchenyuk this summer. While he’s had a very up and down season, hit by injuries and inconsistency, Galchenyuk should get a very substantial upgrade to his current $2.8MM hit, especially if he gives up several free agent years.
Assigning upwards of $6MM per season to a soon-to-be 31-year old for more than five years would be a risky proposition regardless of his excellent production this year. The Canadiens already have Shea Weber on the wrong side of 30 earning a ton of money for a long time (nine more years in fact) and Jeff Petry signed until he’s 34.
It does seem like there is a deal to be worked out between the two sides, after Montreal convinced Radulov to come back from the KHL, but how long and for how many millions is still very much up in the air.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Minor Transactions: 2/17/2017
The Washington Capitals announced that they have recalled rookies Zach Sanford and Jakub Vrana from the AHL’s Hershey Bears. The pair has combined to play in 33 games for the Capitals in 2016-17, and their continued growth will become even more important down the stretch. Sanford has played in 21 games, but has only a goal and an assist in limited ice time. Vrana has suited up for just 12 games, but has a goal and two assists in that time, as well as a +2 rating. When active, Vrana has seen more ice time with the Capital’s skill players, while Sanford has settled into a bottom-six role. Regardless, both players need to work harder to bring their strong AHL production to the next level in Washington. With Andre Burakovsky sidelined, the Capitals approach the Trade Deadline with very little forward depth beyond their starters other than the two rookies. If Sanford and Vrana can’t pick up the pace when the Caps return from their bye week on Saturday, Washington will very likely target one or two veteran forwards by March 1st.
Elsewhere around the league:
- Arizona was forced to promote goalie Marek Langhamer last night on an emergency basis, as backup Louis Domingue was injured earlier in the day. The AHL Tuscon Roadrunners’ keeper traveled to Los Angeles to meet the team prior to their road game and will head back to Arizona and remain with the team for now. Langhamer hasn’t had his best season in 2016-17, posting a .914 save percentage and 2.90 goals against average to accompany a losing record in 12 games with the Roadrunners, but performed much worse in his first AHL season last year. Langhamer has looked much better down in the ECHL over the past two campaigns and seems to just need more time to develop. He is still a better prospect than many would have expected when he was drafted in the seventh round in 2012 out of the Czech Republic national junior program.
- In the wake of injuries to Olli Maatta and Justin Schultz, the Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled fellow defensemen Steven Oleksy and Cameron Gaunce from their AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Maatta will miss the next six weeks, while Schultz’ condition is still unknown, so a long-term role or two may have just opened up for Oleksy, Gaunce, or Chad Ruhwedel.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning have promoted forward Gabriel Dumont from the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch. Dumont was passed through waivers last month and demoted to the minors, but in need of an extra body up front, he’ll return to West Florida from upstate New York. Dumont has just two points in 14 games with the Bolts, and five points overall in his NHL career.
- The Calgary Flames assigned defenseman Brett Kulak to the AHL’s Stockton Heat, the team announced. Kulak has played in 21 games with the Flames this year, picking up three assists while averaging a little more than 14 minutes per game. He also has suited up in 11 minor league games with the Heat, recording five points.
- Anaheim Ducks blueliner Shea Theodore has once again been re-assigned to their AHL affiliate in San Diego per a team release. This marks the 12th different time he has been sent down this year in an effort to save cap space and to get him as much playing time as possible. In 30 games with the Ducks, Theodore has eight points but has been more of an offensive threat in the minors with nine points in just 13 games.
- The San Jose Sharks continued their near-daily shuffle of youngsters to and from the minor leagues, announcing (via Twitter) that winger Timo Meier and defenseman Tim Heed have been assigned to the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda. Meier has played in 26 games with the Sharks while Heed, despite being recalled eight separate times since January, has played just one NHL game this year.
- The Nashville Predators have flipped backup goalies once again, sending Juuse Saros to AHL Milwaukee while recalled Marek Mazenec, reports Adam Vingan of the Tennessean. The move will allow Saros to get into a game or two in the minors to stay in game shape before likely returning to Nashville next week.
- The Montreal Canadiens announced that they have recalled center Michael McCarron from St. John’s of the AHL. McCarron had been sent down to play while the team was on their bye week. McCarron, who is one of the players Arizona is coveting in a Martin Hanzal trade, has a goal and four assists in 18 games with the Canadiens this season.
- The Winnipeg Jets announced that they recalled winger Brandon Tanev from the Manitoba Moose. Defenseman Toby Enstrom was placed on injured reserve (retroactive to February 12th) to make room on the roster for him. Tanev has spent the bulk of the season with the Jets, playing in 39 games while scoring two goals and two assists.
Capitals Acquire Tom Gilbert From Kings
It’s not Teddy Purcell or Devin Setoguchi as the first demoted Kings veteran to be shipped out of town, but Tom Gilbert. The Washington Capitals announced that they have acquired the veteran defenseman from Los Angeles for future considerations. Capitals beat reporter Mike Vogel also adds that the Kings will retain 20% of Gilbert’s $1.4MM salary, or $280K, which explains why Washington didn’t just scoop him up on waivers recently. Gilbert is expected to report to the Capitals AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, for the time being.
As recently discussed in our Washington Capitals Deadline Primer, the team needed a veteran defenseman to provide some depth for the stretch run and postseason. The team has few options outside of their top six, but the 34-year-old Gilbert brings eleven years of experience into the mix, and at a relatively cheap cost. Vogel adds that the conditions for the “future considerations” are as follows: if the Capitals advance two or more rounds in the playoffs and Gilbert plays in 50% of their postseason games, then the Kings will receive a 2017 fifth-round pick. Otherwise, there is no return for L.A. Given both the strength of Washington’s top-six on defense and their recent playoff history, the chances of both those conditions being met seems slim.
In 18 games this season, Gilbert had a goal and four assists. He showed much greater offensive pop in his early days in Edmonton in the late 2000’s, but still contributes to score sheet from time to time. More than anything, Gilbert will provide responsible defense if called upon in high-pressure positions for the Capitals.