Minor Transactions: 1/27/2017
As is customary over the NHL’s All-Star weekend, many teams have begun the day with sending waivers-exempt players down to the minors for some salary cap savings over the next few days. No team has been as enthusiastic to move some bodies as the New Jersey Devils, who announced that nearly half of their defensive corps will take a short trip to Albany to visit the AHL Devils. Joining the recently demoted Yohann Auvitu this weekend will be Steve Santini, Seth Helgeson, and Karl Stollery. Although the trio has only played in a combined 26 games in 2016-17, Santini and Stollery have formed the bottom pair for the Devils of late with Auvitu, Andy Greene, and John Moore sidelined with injuries. Helgeson has generally been the seventh defenseman this season, spending most games in the press box, but getting to see the ice in five contests. The 29-year-old journeyman Stollery has played in just eight games, but is already having the best season of his NHL career, recording his first big-league points and playing about 16 minutes per night.The rookie Santini has shown promise so far in the first half, skating in 13 games and scoring two goals and three assists while playing a sound defensive game as well. Expect Santini and at least one of Stollery and Helgeson to be back up in New Jersey after a brief break.
Elsewhere in minor moves:
- Another Metropolitan team has moved a majority of one position down to the AHL, but it should come as welcome news to the fans. The Carolina Hurricanes announced that, after a long hiatus dealing with concussion symptoms, goalie Eddie Lack has been activated from the injured reserve and has been assigned to the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers for a rehab stint. With Cam Ward having played in 41 of 48 games for the ‘Canes, including 22 of the last 24, he, the organization, and the fans will be happy to have Lack back in the fold as soon as possible. Joining him in the minors will be his recent replacement, veteran Michael Leighton, whose demotion could be more of the permanent variety this time around. However, Leighton, who is the AHL’s all-time leading goalie in games played, will at least get to participate in the AHL All-Star Game upon his return.
- The Washington Capitals have reassigned forward Chandler Stephenson to the Hershey Bears of the AHL for the time being. Unlike his last call-up to the Caps, Stephenson got to see some game action during this last trip. Though the young center was held scoreless and is still looking for his first NHL point through 11 games, Stephenson played confidently in the past two contests and has earned another promotion in the near future.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have again returned forward Markus Hannikainen to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. The big Finnish winger, playing in just his second season in North America, scored his first NHL goal in the Jackets’ 3-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes last Saturday, his only game action on this trip to Columbus.
- The Buffalo Sabres announced that defenseman Casey Nelson has been assigned to the Rochester Americans of the AHL. Nelson has done his best to help Buffalo out with their rash of blue line injuries this season, but has struggled to make much of a difference in nine scoreless games.
- After his recent NHL debut and first career goal, the Arizona Coyotes’ Christian Fischer gets to continue his highlight-reel week by heading to the AHL All-Star Game. The Coyotes announced his demotion, but more than anything the move allows the AHL to honor the league’s top rookie in the first half of the season before he likely heads back to the NHL for the second half.
- In addition to placing Michael Bournival and Gabriel Dumont on waivers, the Tampa Bay Lightning have demoted forward Erik Condra to the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, which has become common this season. The bottom-six groupings are set to change drastically following the All-Star break.
- The Ottawa Senators have activated Andrew Hammond from the injured reserve, and in a corresponding move and have sent down Chris Driedger to the Binghampton Senators of the AHL. However, this only partially helps the Sens’ logjam in net. Mike Condon has taken over as the starter with Hammond out and Craig Anderson on leave since early December, but with both soon back in the fold, Ottawa will still be carrying three goalies. Expect another move sooner rather than later.
- The San Jose Sharks are using All-Star weekend to get a whole group of guys some play time. The team announced that Barclay Goodrow, Kevin Labanc, Timo Meier, and Tim Heed have all be reassigned to the AHL Barracuda and will join the team in Michigan tonight for a game against the Grand Rapids Griffins.
- After just recalling Ivan Barbashev to replace the injured Kyle Brodziak, the St. Louis Blues have returns the AHL All-Star to the Chicago Wolves for this weekend. Expect he, or fellow All-Star Kenny Agostino, or possibly both, to be right back with the Blue after the break.
- The Boston Bruins have recalled goalie Anton Khudobin from the Providence Bruins and reassigned rookie keeper Zane McIntyre to the AHL. While McIntyre’s demotion was expected, as he has been the best goalie in the AHL this year and a highlight of the AHL All-Star Game, the subsequent recall of Khudobin could signal that the Bruins are ready to return to the veteran as their backup to begin the second half of the season.
- The Winnipeg Jets returned Brian Strait to the Manitoba Moose of the AHL, one day after recalling the six-year veteran defenseman from the minors, the team announced via Twitter. Strait was a healthy scratch last night as the Jets took a 5-3 decision from Chicago. The 6-foot-1, 206-pound blue liner has yet to see action in the NHL this season but has appeared in 182 regular season contests over parts of six seasons with the Pittsburgh and New York Islanders organizations.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets continue to flip-flop backup goalies, sending Joonas Korpisalo to Cleveland of the AHL and recalling Anton Forsberg from the same affiliate. The team announced the corresponding transactions via Twitter. Forsberg has made just one appearance this season for Columbus, allowing four goals on 27 shots in a 5-3 loss to Carolina. Korpisalo has won two of his three starts and has appeared in four games overall.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have sent Carter Rowney back to the AHL after just a day with the big club. The forward came up last night with Evgeni Malkin out, but didn’t make it into the game against the Boston Bruins. Rowney will need to wait for his next shot with the big club.
- The Anaheim Ducks have signed some depth between the pipes, inking ECHL netminder Ryan Faragher to a one-year deal. The 26-year old Faragher has been in their system since 2014, but wasn’t under a pro-deal until now. He’ll earn $575K if he should ever make it to the NHL (which he most likely will not, unless something drastic happens in Anaheim) and $50K in the AHL.
Metro Division Notes: Atkinson, Penguins-Capitals, Devils
After a tough 2015-16 season, the Columbus Blue Jackets have been one of the feel-good stories of the year.
That positivity continued today, as Cam Atkinson was named to the NHL All-Star Game, according to Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch. He’ll join teammates Seth Jones and Sergei Bobrovsky on the Metropolitan Division team. Atkinson is replacing Penguins star Evgeni Malkin, who is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
The 27-year-old Atkinson told the Blue Jackets website that being named to the All-Star Game is “obviously very special and very humbling. To be playing with the best players in the world, it’s going to be fun. I’m going to take it all in and really enjoy the moment.”
Atkinson has 24 goals and 46 points in 47 games to lead the Blue Jackets in scoring. He’s just three goals and seven points shy of his career-high, set last season in 81 games played.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins are preparing to go for back-to-back Stanley Cups for the first time since Detroit won in 1997 and 1998. GM Jim Rutherford told Sam Werner of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he has yet to identify any specific area of his team’s roster to improve by the deadline. Rutherford once again stated that having two legitimate starting goaltenders in Marc-Andre Fleury and Matt Murray “doesn’t work ideally.” With the upcoming expansion draft, Rutherford will have to make a goaltending move eventually, but he doesn’t feel pressure to make a move until an offer makes sense to improve the roster or clear up the goaltending situation. The Penguins currently have zero dollars of cap space.
- Moving to D.C. and the Penguins’ biggest rival, Capitals GM Brian MacLellan told TSN and ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun that he’s content with his team going forward. MacLellan feels that everything is running smoothly, so he’s “more inclined to do nothing” before March 1. However, that’s not to say the team won’t “go through the process of [asking], ‘Can we upgrade on guys?'” The President’s Trophy-winning Capitals were eliminated in six games by the Penguins last season, and will be looking for revenge. LeBrun writes that the two teams will be preparing for an early matchup, perhaps even in the first round.
- Continuing the trend of NHL teams moving their AHL affiliates, the New Jersey Devils will be moving their AAA squad from Albany to Binghamton, New York. Pete Dougherty of the Albany Times Union writes that the Baby Devils will be replacing the Binghamton Senators, who are moving to Belleville, Ontario. Albany ranks last in the AHL with regards to attendance; Binghamton is second-last, but gets nearly 20 per cent more people per game. The Devils organization reportedly ate a seven-figure loss in 2015-16, but still signed a new three-year contract with the Times Union Center. Dougherty reports that the organization will likely be making use of an out-clause. The move will be officially ratified at the AHL’s board of governors meeting on Sunday.
PHR’s Glen Miller also contributed to this post.
Minor Transactions: 1/24/17
Here is where we’ll keep track of today’s minor roster moves:
- The Devils announced (Twitter link) that they have activated defenseman Yohann Auvitu off of injured reserve and assigned him to their AHL affiliate in Albany. He had missed the past seven games with a lower body injury. The 27 year old rookie has spent the bulk of the season with New Jersey, picking up four points (2-2-4) in 25 games. He also has seen time in seven AHL contests, recording a trio of assists.
- The Senators announced via Twitter that they have recalled winger Casey Bailey from AHL Binghamton. He’s expected to serve as insurance up front in case Mike Hoffman (flu) is unable to play tonight against Washington. Bailey has played in four games with Ottawa this season being held off the scoresheet and has ten goals and five assists in 33 games with Binghamton.
- Washington announced the recall of center Chandler Stephenson from Hershey of the AHL. The 22 year old got into nine games with the Capitals last season but has yet to suit up with the big club in 2016-17. He has played in 39 AHL games this year, recording 24 points (6-18-24), just four shy of his career high set last season.
- With defenseman Brian Dumoulin set to return from injured reserve, the Penguins have assigned blueliner Cameron Gaunce to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL, per a team release. Gaunce got into three games with Pittsburgh after being recalled last week, picking up a pair of assists while posting two goals and six assists with the Baby Pens this season.
- The Ducks announced via Twitter that they have loaned center Nate Thompson to their AHL affiliate in San Diego on a long-term injury conditioning loan. Loans of this nature typically last a maximum of three games or six days but teams can petition the league for an extra two games. Thompson, who remains on LTIR, has missed the entire season so far after rupturing his Achilles’ tendon in an offseason workout.
- Colorado announced (Twitter link) that they have recalled center Jim O’Brien from San Antonio of the AHL. The team placed forward Rene Bourque on IR to make room for him on the roster. O’Brien, a former first round pick of the Senators (29th overall) in 2007, has spent the entire season at the minor league level, collecting seven goals and ten assists in 26 games. He last saw NHL action in 2015-16, getting into four games with New Jersey.
Snapshots: NHL Three Stars, Flames, Lightning
The NHL has named Conor Sheary, Thomas Greiss, and T.J. Oshie as their Three Stars of the Week.
The undrafted Sheary had six goals and nine points in four games as the Penguins went 4-0-0. He had two three-point games to bookend the week. He had two goals, including the overtime winner, in the Penguin epic 8-7 win over Washington, and the same statline in the Penguins 5-1 win over Boston. Sheary now has 17 goals and 34 points in 39 games this season, a significant increase over his 10-point rookie season.
Greiss had two shutouts and an overtime loss in a week where he had a 0.971 SV%. The Islanders shutout the Bruins 4-0 then fired head coach Jack Capuano the next day. They followed the firing with a 3-0 shutout of the Stars and a 3-2 overtime loss to the Flyers. Greiss is 12-7-3 with a 0.928 SV% so far this season, taking over the starting job from Jaroslav Halak.
Oshie had three goals and three assists in three games as the Capitals went 2-0-1 last week. Three of those points came in the 8-7 OT loss to the Penguins. The pending-UFA has 31 points in 38 games for the Capitals, and ranked fourth on PHR’s Top 20 UFA list.
- The Calgary Flames are facing a crisis of confidence after being hammered by their division rivals, writes Mark Spector. The organization is facing some big questions, notably surrounding their top players’ ability to lead a championship team. Are Sean Monahan and Sam Bennett, with 30 and 18 points respectively, a Stanley Cup-calibre one-two punch up the middle? Does Johnny Gaudreau have the speed and temperament to get past the tight coverage? Who is the starting goalie of the future? The Flames are a fragile team, with Edmonton speeding past them in the rebuilding process and tonight’s opponent, Toronto, looking like they’re on a much better path back to the playoffs.
- It’s not looking good for the Tampa Bay Lightning. After their 5-3 loss to the lowly Arizona Coyotes, the Lightning are currently last in the Eastern Conference. Tampa Bay Times writer Joe Smith tweeted a bleak stat for Lightning fans: since 1993-94, only two teams have made the playoffs after sitting last in their conference on January 22. The 1997 Ottawa Senators and 2009 St. Louis Blues are the only two teams to accomplish the feat.
Injury Updates: Rask, Krug, Carlson, Rielly, Gallagher
After exiting the Boston Bruins’ 5-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins yesterday midway through the game with a migraine, Tuukka Rask was also not in attendance at practice today. The Bruins are losers of four straight games and have an important re-match with the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday, who they gave up a three-goal lead to last Wednesday en route to a shootout defeat. The last thing they can afford is to lose their best player this season, as Rask has been excellent with 22 wins, a .920 save percentage, and 2.11 goals against average, especially when rookie backup Zane McIntyre has struggled to adjust to the NHL thus far with an .860 save percentage and 3.95 goals against average. There has been no word on Rask’s availability for tomorrow night’s game and no recall has yet to be made, so Rask may just be taking the day off to rest and recover. The Bruins certainly hope that’s the case and they need their star keeper at full strength if they want to right the ship.
Torey Krug was another notable name who did not practice for the Bruins today. The speedy defenseman was the recipient of a bad hit yesterday by the Penguins’ Jake Guentzel (who deservedly got a boarding penalty). Not only did Krug continue playing, but he led all Bruins in ice time. That effort combined with a harsh hit likely earned him the day off today. Krug is tenth among NHL defensemen in points this season with four goals and 25 assists and is another player the Bruins cannot afford to lose right now. On a positive note, all of the Bruins other defensemen were full participants in practice today, including both Colin Miller and Kevan Miller who have missed the last few games with injury.
In other injury news around the league:
- Another struggling team who needs a healthy roster is the St. Louis Blues. However, prominent contributors Jaden Schwartz and Jay Bouwmeester did not skate today. Schwartz took a shot to the inside of the knee in Saturday’s 5-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets and was reportedly limping badly after the game. Bouwmeester remains out with a lower-body injury, though is considered day-to-day. Both players appear questionable to suit up for St. Louis against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
- Capitals fans will be happy to hear that top defenseman John Carlson skated with the team today, but should not expect to see the big blue liner back in the lineup right away. With Washington rolling of late (11-0-2 in their last 13), the team can afford to ease Carlson back into the lineup. He has been ruled out for both tonight’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes and tomorrow’s against the Ottawa Sentors. He may play Thursday against the New Jersey Devils, but it seems likely that they will hold him out through the All-Star break to give him another week of rest.
- Another defenseman on the mend is Toronto’s Morgan Rielly, who was a full participant at Maple Leafs practice today. While he’s been ruled out for tonight’s match-up with the Calgary Flames, coach Mike Babcock has left open the possibility that he could return before the All-Star break as the Leafs play twice later in the week.
- The Montreal Canadiens were happy to have hard-working Brendan Gallagher back at practice today, but Habs fans should not hold their breath for a swift return. Gallagher still appears to be a ways out from game action, as he wore a white non-contact jersey and used a stick with no blade. Gallagher admitted that when returning from a similar injury to his left hand last year, he began shooting too soon and caused damage. The team doctors didn’t take that chance this time around, removing the blade to also remove the temptation. Even when he returns, Gallagher said he will likely have to wear protection on his hand for the rest of his career after multiple surgeries. An eight-week timeline was set for the gritty winger when he was injured at the beginning of January, so Gallagher could still be a month away from playing for the Canadiens again.
Snapshots: Kreider, Hanzal, Carlson, Corrado
The New York Rangers and Dallas Stars have met twice this season, and NHL Player Safety has had to get involved both times.
Back in December, Stars center Cody Eakin earned a four-game suspension for running over Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist (Streamable link of incident). The two teams met again last night, and Eakin was involved in another incident, though this time it was on the receiving end. Early in the second period, Chris Kreider picked a fight with Eakin, likely out of retribution for Eakin’s run-in with Lundqvist. During the fight, Kreider grabbed Eakin’s helmet and hit Eakin in the head with it (GIF via @myregularface).
Kreider has been fined $5K for the incident, which is the maximum allowable fine under the CBA. Under NHL rules, Kreider should have been ejected for attempting to “deliberately [injure] an opponent by throwing a stick or any other object or piece of equipment at an opposing player.”
Instead, he only received the usual five-minute major for fighting. The swing happened quickly, so perhaps the referees missed it or didn’t deem it to be a deliberate action.
- The struggling Arizona Coyotes will be without one of their top players when they visit the Winnipeg Jets. Martin Hanzal has left the team temporarily to “attend to a family matter,” according to Dave Vest of the Arizona Coyotes. Hanzal has 15 points in 37 games for the second-to-last-place Coyotes. He’s expected to be dealt sometime before the NHL trade deadline on March 1.
- Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson is doubtful for Thursday night’s game in St. Louis, according to coach Barry Trotz (via Isabelle Khurshudyan). Carlson missed Monday night’s epic 8-7 loss in Pittsburgh with a lower-body injury. Carlson has 25 points in 43 games this year. Trotz said the team may call up a defenseman before next game; Khurshudyan believes Aaron Ness is the likely call-up. Ness has 16 points in 31 games with the Hershey Bears.
- While Morgan Rielly being out day-to-day is bad news for Toronto Maple Leafs, it’s good news for Frankie Corrado. Corrado has appeared in just one game at the NHL level this season, and will get a short window to make a good impression on Mike Babcock. Corrado told TSN’s Kristen Shilton that he’s “a hockey player, so it’s nice to play hockey.”
Minor Transactions: 1/17/2017
The Anaheim Ducks continue to use frequent promotions and demotions to their advantage. With their AHL affiliate now right down the road, and not somewhere on the Eastern seaboard, it has become much easier and less costly to swap young players in and out and the Ducks are at it once again. Anaheim announced last night that defenseman Shea Theodore and forward Stefan Noesen are heading to the San Diego Gulls. Theodore has been back and forth a few different times so far in 2016-17, as he searches for consistency. In 19 NHL games last season, Theodore had three goals and five assists and was a +7. Through 23 games this year, he has just one goal and six assists while playing to a -7. With all of the blue line depth that the Ducks enjoy, they can afford to let Theodore find his game in the AHL (nine points in eleven games) and still call him up when necessary. Noesen, a 2011 first-round pick of the Ottawa Senators who was acquired alongside Jakob Silfverberg in the Bobby Ryan trade, has not panned out like Silfverberg has. Noesen has played in just eleven NHL games, nine of which have come this season, and has recorded just a single point. Quickly approaching 24-years-old, Noesen appears to be a bona fide bust.
Update (1:00pm CT): After demoting Theodore and Noesen last night, the Ducks have promoted the same pair this afternoon. Anaheim continues to be the poster-team for AHL transactions in 2016-17, squeezing ever little bit of salary cap savings they can out of numerous moves.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- The Penguins announced that they have recalled defenseman Cameron Gaunce from their AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. They also re-assigned fellow blueliner David Warsofsky to the minors. This will be Gaunce’s first stint with Pittsburgh after joining the team in the offseason. He has two goals and six assists with the Baby Pens this season. As for Warsofsky, he got into two games with Pittsburgh since last being recalled. On the season, he has suited up in six games with the team, being held off the scoresheet. In 24 AHL games though, he has fared much better, tallying 28 points.
- The Oilers announced that they have re-assigned blueliner Jordan Oesterle to Bakersfield of the AHL. He did not get into a game with Edmonton after being recalled by the team on Sunday. In 18 minor league contests this year, he has three goals and eight assists.
- Having already claimed defenseman Brad Hunt and placed defenseman Petter Granberg on the injured reserve, a busy morning continued for the Nashville Predators as they re-assigned rookie forward Kevin Fiala to the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. The Swiss winger has six goals and three assists on the season and has shown flashes of brilliance, but could use some more seasoning in order to build a more complete game. When the Predators can find him some extra play time down in the AHL, it only stands to help his development.
- The Montreal Canadiens have sent impressive prospect Michael McCarron back down to the St. John’s Ice Caps of the AHL. The 2013 first-rounder was called up to help Montreal deal with a slew of injuries, but with the team getting healthier he has been returned to the minors. In 15 games with the Canadiens, McCarron registered a goal and three assists and didn’t look out of place at all. However, the 21-year-old will benefit more this season from top-six time with the Ice Caps than bottom-six play with the Canadiens. Look for McCarron to challenge for a full-time spot on the team next season. Or, if Montreal’s injury luck continues, it will be much sooner that he returns to the NHL.
- Tim Heed and Ryan Carpenter will have to change locker rooms again, as the San Jose Sharks announced that the pair have been demoted to the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda (down the hall to the right). The 25-year-old defenseman Heed is fresh off of his NHL debut last week, having been recalled due to his excellent AHL numbers. Heed is second in the minors in defenseman scoring with 31 points in 28 games with the Barracuda. Carpenter played three games for the Sharks back in November, skating on the team’s energy line, but has not made it into a game in any of his subsequent call-ups in 2016-17.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning announced that they have recalled young defenseman Jake Dotchin from the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch. This is the first career call-up for Dotchin, who has become relevant within the organization as he enjoys a career year. In his third season with the Crunch, Dotchin is on pace to shatter his pro career-high of 20 points, set back in 2014-15, and is also a +10 after back-to-back minus seasons. The big, two-way defenseman only put up modest numbers in his OHL junior career as well and was a sixth-round selection back in 2012, so he has had to put in a lot of hard work to get to where he is and has earned a promotion. If Dotchin suits up for the Lightning tonight, he will be the 30th different player to line up for Tampa this season.
- Following last night’s legendary contest, the Washington Capitals have returned Chandler Stephenson to the Hershey Bears of the AHL. However, Stephenson didn’t play in the game against the Penguins, or any game for that matter, in this most recent call-up, nor did he play in his earlier promotion this season. After being held scoreless in nine games in Washington last season, it seems the Capitals are in no rush to get the play-making forward back into the NHL lineup.
Penguins, Capitals Combine For Nine Goals In A Period
Is there a better rivalry in the NHL right now than the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals? The teams opened their seasons against each other back in October with a wild game that needed a shootout to decide the winner. In November, the Caps shocked the world with a 7-1 win over the defending champs and then just last week put an end to the Penguins’ five-game winning streak with a 5-2 result. Tonight, it’s almost as if the two sides colluded to produce the best result for our entertainment in their final (regular season) match-up of the year. After going up 2-0 in the first period, Washington allowed six goals in the second while scoring three of their own for a total of nine goals in just twenty minutes. Then, two goals for the Capitals and another for the Penguins tied it up at 7-7 and took the game to overtime. A goal by Conor Sheary in overtime clinched it for Pittsburgh, as unfortunately one team had to come out on top and the game had to come to an end, but only after 15 goals.
The OT goal was Crosby’s third assist of the game, to go along with a goal, but he was just one of the game’s many amazing performances. Fellow Pittsburgh superstar Evgeni Malkin put together a hat trick, all in the second period to lead both teams in goals. Sheary had two goals and an assist for the Penguins, and defensemen Justin Schultz and Trevor Daley combined for seven assists. On the Washington side, T.J. Oshie had a goal and two assists, while Lars Eller added two goals, including the game-tying tally late in the third. On the other hand, it was clearly a night to forget for all of the goaltenders involved.
Unbelievably, the nine goals in a period were not the league record and neither was the Penguins’ six by themselves. However, the six goals scored in the second is the most scored by the Penguins in a game since 2000, when they scored that many in a match-up against the New York Islanders.
The season series between these two teams ends tied at two games apiece and also snaps the Capital’s nine-game winning streak. All hockey fans can hope for now is that these two teams meet up in the playoffs, which could end up being one of the most anticipated series of all time.
Snapshots: NHL Three Stars, Toews, Bickell, Maple Leafs
Nicklas Backstrom, Brad Marchand, and Brock McGinn have been named the NHL’s Three Stars of the Week.
Backstrom had three goals and 10 points in four games as the Capitals continued their nine-game winning streak. He has 13 points on that winning streak, and is currently on a six-game point streak. Backstrom is 10th in NHL scoring with 42 points in 43 games.
Marchand had the second-most points in the last week (behind only the aforementioned first star of the week) with 4-4-8 in three games. He had a three-point game in the Bruins’ win over the Blues before being held pointless in a loss to Nashville. He finished off the week with a career-high five-point night in a 6-3 win over Philadelphia. Marchand is seventh in NHL scoring with 43 points in 46 games.
McGinn had seven points in three games as the Hurricanes continued their four-game winning streak. Carolina is now one point out of a wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference. McGinn has 12 points on the season in 28 games this season, with seven coming in the last week.
- Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews may want to remember the old Mark Twain quote which says that “reports of my demise are greatly exaggerated.” On his morning appearance on TSN 1260, Bob McKenzie talked about Toews’ struggles and suggested that “a lot of people are writing obituaries on Toews’ career right now,” which McKenzie believes is “real premature.” Toews has 21 points in 37 games this season, which puts him on pace for 41 points in 73 games. That would be a career-low at a time when offensive players ought to be in their prime; even in the 2012-13 lockout-shortened season, Toews scored 48 points in 47 games. Prior to this season, Toews has scored at 0.88 PPG. That’s fallen year-over-year since 12-13, and is now at 0.57. If the Blackhawks want to capitalize on the final year of a cheap Artemi Panarin, they’ll need their captain to kick it into a higher gear.
- Some very good news out of Carolina on Monday, as veteran winger Bryan Bickell practiced for the second time in the last week, according to Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer. Bickell has not played since the end of October, when he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Bickell was acquired by the Hurricanes in the summer in a salary-dump trade from Chicago, where he won three Stanley Cups.
- Over at Maple Leafs practice, Martin Marincin and Frankie Corrado are both on the ice. Marincin is wearing a red non-contact jersey as he returns to practice one month after suffering an injury that was expected to keep him out of the lineup between 4-6 weeks. Meanwhile, Corrado returns to the NHL after a two-week conditioning stint with the Toronto Marlies where he had three assists in seven games. He’s appeared in just one NHL game this season.
PHR Originals: 1/9/2017-1/15/2017
It’s been an interesting week in the NHL, and here at PHR we’ve had some excellent original features:
- Nate Brown took at look at the top five picks from last summer, and how they’ve fared so far in their young careers. With Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine off to huge starts in the NHL (though Laine is now facing a concussion), it’s an interesting look at players like Pierre-Luc Dubois and Olli Juolevi, both of whom stayed with their junior clubs this year.
- I took a look at the shootout, and where teams would be if it was eliminated. Though teams would leapfrog each other if those points were taken away, it sure would close up some gaps.
- Brian La Rose released our annual mid-season UFA power rankings, in two parts (here and here). Based on votes from all of the writers at PHR, Kevin Shattenkirk took home the trophy of the #1 UFA. The rest of them are very interesting though, with writers ranking the field quite differently.
- Brian also continued his series re-drafting the 2005 class. This time it was the 28th overall selection, which Devin Setoguchi handily won.
- Brett Barrett took a look at the biggest one-for-one trades in the past decade. Inspired by the Taylor Hall–Adam Larsson/P.K. Subban–Shea Weber monster day we experienced last summer, some of the swaps have been the epitome of “blockbuster deal”
- And just a few hours ago I looked at Philadelphia’s struggles heading into their mandated bye week. The team lost 5-0 today to the Washington Capitals and are at risk of falling out of a playoff spot this week.