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NHL Names All-Star Head Coaches

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The current formula for determining who coaches each of the four divisional teams at the NHL All-Star game is simple: whichever team leads their respective division in points percentage at the end of the day on January 5th, their head coach earns the All-Star nod. As it so happens, the NHL divisional standings at present time combined with today’s slate of games makes it impossible for any of the current divisional leaders to lose their top spot due to today’s results. As such, the NHL has decided to go ahead and announce ahead of time who will behind the bench at the upcoming 2019 All-Star Game in San Jose on January 25th-26th:

Jon Cooper, head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning (.805), is the obvious choice to lead the Atlantic team, as his Bolts not only lead the division, but the entire league – and it’s not close. Tampa’s current points percentage clip is inhuman, as the Lightning have taken home over 80% of their possible points this season. In that regard, they lead the next-best team, the division rival Toronto Maple Leafs, by 130 percentage points. The Lightning also lead the league in goals for per game and power play success, both by a wide margin, and are top-ten in killing penalties. Cooper has the Bolts rolling on all cylinders and will try to transition that success to his All-Star squad.

Heading up the Metropolitan team is first-year head coach Todd Reirden of the defending champion Washington Capitals. With Reirden taking over for Barry Trotz this season, the Capitals have avoided a Stanley Cup slump, currently leading the division with a .650 points percentage that is also tied for third-best in the league. Like Tampa Bay, Washington is similarly offensively inclined, holding a top-ten spot in the league in goals for per game, power play percentage, and shooting percentage. However, Reirden’s team has had their fair share of struggles defensively, partly contributing to why the Capitals have just a narrow lead on the Pittsburgh Penguins (.634), Trotz’ New York Islanders (.615), and the Columbus Blue Jackets (.613). Reidren will coach players from all three of those competing teams when he leads the Metropolitan unit at the All-Star game.

Tied with Reirden’s Capitals at .650 points percentage are the Winnipeg Jets and bench boss Paul Maurice. Maurice’s Jets have been one of the most impressive teams in the league dating back to the beginning of last season and currently top both the Central Division and Western Conference. Winnipeg is as well-rounded as they come, holding a top-eleven spot in goals for per game, goals against per game, power play, and penalty kill. The Jets are also enjoying some breathing room in the divisional race this season, with the Nashville Predators and Colorado Avalanche currently struggling. Maurice will want to instill his well-rounded style into the Central squad, but no so far as to reignite any of the top players on his rivals.

Right behind the Jets in the conference title race and holding the fifth-best points percentage are the Calgary Flames (.643) and new head coach Bill Peters, who will lead the Pacific Divison’s entry. The former Carolina Hurricanes coach came over to Calgary this off-season and has found immediate success managing the ample talent on the Calgary roster. Of the four teams led by All-Star coaches, none have improved more from this time last year than the Flames, and Peters deserves a lot of credit for that transformation. Calgary is third in goals for per game and tenth in goals against per game, one of just three teams to hold top ten spots in both categories. Yet, special teams has not been as much of strength for the team, perhaps why Peters’ team has yet to pull away from the Vegas Golden Knights (.614) and San Jose Sharks (.607) in the division. Fortunately, special teams should not matter much in a 3-on-3 tournament for the Pacific team and Peters could add an All-Star game win to an already impressive, possibly even Jack Adams-worthy, season.

Snapshots: Lundestrom, Hudon, McGinn

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When the Anaheim Ducks loaned rookie Isac Lundestrom to Team Sweden for the World Junior Championship in the midst of a campaign split between the NHL and AHL, it was a hint that perhaps the experiment was over with the 19-year-old for this season. This has now in fact been confirmed, as agent Martin Nilsson tells Swedish news source Aftonbladet that Lundestrom has returned to Sweden for the remainder of the season. Although the Ducks’ recent first-round pick, No. 23 overall last June, showed signs of promise in his first foray into North American hockey, he nevertheless had failed to produce. Lundestrom, in burning the first year of his entry-level contract, played in 15 games with Anaheim but only recorded two assists. In 12 games with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls, Lundestrom only managed six assists. After half a season with zero goals and limited opportunity to score them, Lundestrom is set to return to his Swedish club Lulea, where he played exclusively with the top team last season. After a WJC in which Sweden struggled but Lundestrom excelled, recording four points in five games, Nilsson says that the youngster is eager to return home and take on a key role for his club. He remains in conversation with Anaheim and, more likely than not, will be back with the organization to begin next season. In the meantime, the Ducks hope to see more of his offensive potential as he takes on the Swedish Hockey League.

  • Another player who could be on the move soon is Montreal Canadiens forward Charles Hudon. Marc Antoine Godin of The Athletic recently sat down with Hudon’s agent, Allain Roy, and discovered that the young forward has asked the Canadiens to give him a chance to play. While Godin would not go so far as to say that Hudon demanded a trade, the 24-year-old did allegedly tell the team that he wants a chance and, if it isn’t in Montreal, he would like to be moved elsewhere. “Charlie wants to play in the National Hockey League”, said Roy, “He’s a good player, and we’re still waiting for an answer whether it’s from Montreal or anywhere else.” After a 30-point performance in his first full NHL season last year, it’s fair for Hudon to be discouraged with how this season is going. Expected to be top-nine contributor, Hudon has instead been a frequent scratch and has played the majority of his 23 games on the team’s fourth line with Matthew Peca and Nicolas Deslauriers, despite ample opportunity to line up elsewhere. The trio has combined for just 17 points and Hudon has only contributed four. The Canadiens have opted to hold on to Hudon rather than risk him on waivers, even at the cost of recent claims Nikita Scherbak and Jacob de la Rose, but continue to deny him an opportunity to succeed. Godin wonders what the market would look like for a player like Hudon, whose size and skill set are ill-fitted for checking line work but who has yet to truly prove himself as a top-nine scoring option. Hudon would most likely not clear waivers if any team could grab him for free, but will anyone be willing to ante up to acquire the eager winger from the Canadiens? If the team doesn’t start giving him a larger role, we’ll soon find out the answer to that question.
  • Already on his way to a new team is Tye McGinn. Unlike Jamie and Brock, the middle McGinn brother is without an NHL contract this season for the first time in his eight-year pro career. McGinn, 28, had been playing for the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets, but yesterday was traded to the Chicago Wolves, affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights. This ended up being the “future considerations” side of the Jets’ acquisition of defenseman Jimmy Oligny from Vegas. With the Knights looking playoff-bound again this season, the McGinn acquisition could yield an intriguing late-season signing option. The team is sure to take a look at how the veteran two-way forward performs for their farm team and could decide he is worthy of stashing as a deep depth piece for the stretch run and postseason. McGinn was last an NHL regular in 2014-15, but has always produced consistently in the minors and shown good checking ability at the next level. Vegas has only two roster spots open as of now, but depending on how their trade deadline plans shake out, could dedicate one of those slots to McGinn later on.

Nikolaj Ehlers Suffers Upper Body Injury On Friday

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  • Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers suffered an upper-body injury in Friday’s game against Pittsburgh, the team announced. The injury occurred in the first period and while he tried to come back for a shift, it didn’t go over well.  The 22-year-old is quietly on pace for his first career 30-goal campaign and if he’s out for any significant period of time, that would be a big blow to Winnipeg’s attack.

Winnipeg Jets Acquire Jimmy Oligny

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The Winnipeg Jets have acquired minor league defenseman Jimmy Oligny from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for future considerations. Oligny will report to the Manitoba Moose, where he can add another physical presence to the AHL club.

Oligny, 25, won’t be mistaken for an offensive dynamo anytime soon, but has enough ability to log regular minutes while also being an intimidating presence on the ice. The left-handed defenseman has 23 fights in his four-plus years in the AHL and can add a different look for the Moose. Those Moose are struggling to find any success this season at either end of the rink, partly because they’ve been stripped of talent by the Jets the last few seasons.

Western Notes: Bennett, Pacioretty, Wilson, Vesalainen, Demko

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The Calgary Flames’ Sam Bennett doesn’t have to worry about anything as Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reports that forward will not receive any supplementary discipline from the Department of Player Safety for his hit on Radim Simek Monday night.

With the Flames up 8-5 and with 25 seconds remaining in the game, Simek was passing a puck when he took a hit from Bennett. Simek stayed down on the ice for some time before leaving the game. There was no medical update after the game.

  • The Vegas Golden Knights got some good news as winger Max Pacioretty was on the ice for the pre-game skate, according to SinBin.Vegas. The veteran is not expected to return to the lineup today, but it’s an improvement as Pacioretty hasn’t been on the ice since he was injured on Dec. 17. Head coach Gerard Gallant said Pacioretty remains day-to-day, according to Las Vegas Review-Journal’s David Schoen. Pacioretty has missed six games due to his lower-body injury, but the team hasn’t missed beat with Brandon Pirri taking his place in the lineup. The 30-year-old has 10 goals and 19 points in 30 games this season.
  • Adrian Dater of BSN writes that the Colorado Avalanche expect to get back winger Colin Wilson sooner than expected. The winger suffered a shoulder injury and was placed on injured reserve on Dec. 22, but could be ready to play by next week. Wilson was playing well in a middle-six role and has eight goals and 13 goals this season.
  • Winnipeg Jets prospect Kristian Vesalainen was named KHL Rookie of the Month for December, according to Pekka Jalonen of Iltalehti. The 2017 first-round pick started the season with the Jets and played five games, but after eight games in the AHL, opted to exercise a provision in his contract that allowed him to return to the Europe. He has four goals and 10 points in 13 games for Jokerit.
  • Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre writes that after watching the impressive play of New Jersey Devils goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood, who shutout the Vancouver Canucks 4-0 Monday, the Canucks should consider bringing up their own goalie prospect in Thatcher Demko. The 23-year-old is from the same draft as Blackwood and this might be the right time to give him an extended look, especially with the uninspiring play of Anders Nilsson as the team’s backup. Demko did miss the first two months of the season to injury, but he has posted a 2.63 GAA and a .909 save percentage and has little left to prove in Utica. The Canucks could consider moving Nilsson to a team in need of goalie depth before the trade deadline.

NHL Releases Special Events Schedule for 2019-20

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NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced a new schedule for all the special events happening in the 2019-20 season. While it was reported Monday that the 2020 Winter Classic will be in Dallas, Bettman also announced that the St. Louis Blues will host the 2020 Honda NHL All-Star game, Regina will host the 2019 Tim Horton’s NHL Heritage Classic between the Winnipeg Jets and the Calgary Flames, while Colorado will host the 2020 Stadium Series at the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Falcon Stadium.

There is no word yet on who the Dallas Stars will play next year at the 2020 Winter Classic at the Cotton Bowl. The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro reports that the opponent will be determined by the Stars, NBC and the NHL in a group effort and will be made within the next few weeks. However, with no regional rival, there isn’t an obvious opponent, although some are already suggesting that the Minnesota Wild might be a good match. It’s not expected to be the Blackhawks, who played in the event this year and has already played in six outdoor games. This marks the first time that Dallas will play in an outdoor game.

Bettman said that other venues were considered and will continue to be considered. ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski reports that Bettman said that there has been conversations between both Florida teams of a future night game on Jan. 1. The Athletic’s Joe McDonald adds that Bettman said the league will have discussions with the Bruins after their renovations at TD Gardens are complete about receiving another event.

The Blues will host the 2020 all-star game, which will be held on Jan. 24-2. It will be the first time that St. Louis has hosted an all-star game since 1988. It will be the third all-star game in the city as the team also hosted one in 1970. St. Louis hosted the Winter Classic two years ago, but its success only helped the Blues bring in another big event.

“St. Louis was a great host for us for the Winter Classic, and in the final analysis, the total circumstances including the substantial renovation that they’ve done of the Enterprise Center made it the right time to go back. We have no doubt it will be a huge success,” Bettman said (via The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford).

The Winnipeg Jets announced earlier today they will host the Heritage Classic, but the opponent hadn’t been announced. Bettman announced that the Calgary Flames will make their second appearance in the occasionally-held Canadian outdoor game which will be on Oct. 26, 2019.

The Avalanche will get a chance to host their second Stadium Series. They hosted the Detroit Red Wings at Coors Field in 2016. It also marks the second time a game will be at a U.S. service academy. The Washington Capitals hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium at the U.S. Naval Base in Annapolis, Maryland in March last year. Just as with the Winter Classic, an opponent has yet to be named and will be determined in a few weeks.

Winnipeg Jets To Host Heritage Classic In Regina In 2019-20 Season

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The Winnipeg Sun is reporting that when NHL commissioner Gary Bettman makes his special 2019-20 event announcements during the second intermission of the Winter Classic on Tuesday between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Boston Bruins, the league is expected to announce that  Regina and the Winnipeg Jets are expected to host the fifth installment of Canada’s Heritage Classic at Mosaic Stadium, the home of the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Bettman is likely to announce who the opponent will be during his announcements for both outdoor games. It was announced Monday that Dallas will host the 2020 Winter Classic next year and the opponent is expected to be revealed today as well as the opponent for the Heritage Classic. The Winnipeg Sun reports that the likely opponent will be either the Calgary Flames or the Edmonton Oilers.

The Heritage Classic has been held four times, the most recent of which was on Oct. 23, 2016 between the Jets and the Oilers. The first Heritage Classic was held in 2003 in Edmonton between the Oilers and the Montreal Canadiens and was a huge success, which started the Winter Classic in 2008, but the league didn’t have another Heritage Classic until 2011 between the Canadiens and the host Flames. The league held a third Heritage Classic in Vancouver in 2014 against the Ottawa Senators.

Minor Transactions: 12/31/18

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On the last day of 2018, 26 of the league’s 31 teams will be in action. The day starts with an epic matchup between the Nashville Predators and Washington Capitals, and ends with a pair of Western Conference battles that could have a big impact on the playoffs. While teams prepare for 2019, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves they make today.

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled Eric Robinson from the minor leagues, after a great start from the former Princeton University standout. Signed last spring as an undrafted college free agent, Robinson played in one game down the stretch for the Blue Jackets but was held scoreless. That hasn’t been the case very often in the minor leagues, where the 23-year old forward has recorded 19 points in 33 games and is tied for second on the team in goals with 10.
  • C.J. Smith is on his way up to the Buffalo Sabres, recalled from the AHL today. Smith has followed up an outstanding first professional season with 29 points in 33 games this year, and is tied with Victor Olofsson for the Rochester Americans scoring lead. The 24-year old has two NHL games under his belt, but is still waiting to score his first goal at the highest level.
  • The Washington Capitals are preparing for the return of Brooks Orpik by assigning Tyler Lewington to the AHL’s Hershey Bears, his NHL stint over for now. Lewington played two games for the Capitals and actually recorded two points, also getting into a fight to kick off his NHL career.
  • Nicholas Baptiste is on his way up to the Nashville Predators, the first time he’ll be part of an NHL locker room that doesn’t belong to the Buffalo Sabres. Baptiste, 23, has 14 points with the Milwaukee Admirals this season after being acquired from the Sabres in early October.
  • While they deal with a lengthy injury to Dustin Byfuglien, the Winnipeg Jets will rely on their defensive depth to keep them afloat in the Central Division. Relying on that depth means Sami Niku is headed back to the NHL, where he could see some additional playing time. Niku played in five games earlier this season for the Jets but is still looking for his first point of the year.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled Trevor Moore under emergency conditions once again, and the young forward will continue to fill in for the injured Zach Hyman and Tyler Ennis. Moore has two points in his first three NHL games and has injected some more speed into the Maple Leafs’ fourth line.
  • Egor Yakovlev has played 11 games with the New Jersey Devils this season, but for now he is heading back to the minor leagues. The team sent Yakovlev down before their afternoon tilt against the Vancouver Canucks.
  • The Ottawa Senators have officially placed Christian Jaros on injured reserve, according to CapFriendly. Jaros broke his finger while in a fight with Islanders’ Ross Johnston Friday and will be out for a month. The team already placed Thomas Chabot on IR further weakening the team’s defense.
  • He’s already playing, but before the game today, the New York Rangers activated defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, according to CapFriendly. The 29-year-old was expected to miss two to four weeks with a separated shoulder, but has returned closer to the two-week mark. The veteran has struggled with injuries since signing with New York in the summer of 2017. Shattenkirk has appeared in 29 games this season, but has clashed at times with new head coach David Quinn, and is playing a career-low 18:23 of ATOI this season. He will attempt to boost those numbers again now that he’s healthy.
  • The Minnesota Wild announced they have assigned veteran defenseman Matt Bartkowski to the Iowa Wild of the AHL after their 3-2 loss to Pittsburgh today. That could suggest that defenseman Nick Seeler will be ready to return to the team for Thursday’s game at Toronto. Bartkowski played in two games filling in, scoring a goal Saturday.

Winnipeg’s Dustin Byfuglien Out Until At Least All-Star Break

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2:52: The Winnipeg Jets announced they have placed Byfuglien on injured reserve. The team is expected to recall a defenseman from the Manitoba Moose, most likely Sami Niku.

2:06: Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice said that Dustin Byfuglien, who was forced to leave Saturday in the third period against the Minnesota Wild with a left leg injury, will be out “a while,” until at least the all-star break if not longer, according to Winnipeg Sun’s Ted Wyman. Maurice added that the next update will be at the all-star break, but the 6-foot-5, 260-pound defenseman could be out even longer.

“That would be the very earliest part of the window. I don’t know what it’s going to look like in the next two or three weeks,” said Maurice, adding the injury didn’t require surgery.

Byfuglien suffered a injury to his left leg when he collided with Minnesota’s Luke Kunin during the third period Saturday and was forced to leave the game. He needed help to get off the ice. Maurice didn’t specify whether the injury was to his ankle or his knee.

The 2019 NHL All-Star Game is to take place on Jan. 26, so expect Byfuglien to be out almost a month before an update will be provided. It’s a big blow to the Jets’ defense, who was looking to continue to hold off the Nashville Predators from taking their spot as the top team in the Central Division. The loss of Byfuglien means the team will lean more heavily on Jacob Trouba, Tyler Myers and Josh Morrissey. However, the team believes they have the depth to succeed without him. Coincidentally, the team hasn’t lost a game without their star defenseman this year as the team is 5-0-1 this year. Byfuglien has already missed six games this season. He missed two games with an upper-body injury in mid-October and then missed another four games with a concussion from Nov. 27 through Dec. 7.

“You have Tyler Myers and Jacob Trouba who would very much like to play 25 minutes a night. They’re going to get an opportunity,” Maurice said. “When Dustin went down earlier, we had Morrissey and Trouba playing 28 minutes a night. We have players that can handle it and can take it.”

It’s expected the team will get back Joseph Morrow today and that Myers is expected to be ready for the New Year’s Eve game in Edmonton.

Central Notes: Dallas Stars, Byfuglien, Hellebuyck, Crawford

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The Dallas Stars made the news Friday when Dallas Stars CEO Jim Lites went on a rant due to the poor play of franchise stars Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin. The must-read rant suggests that ownership is not happy with the duo’s production and expect to see immediate changes on the ice.

In hopes of getting more answers and whether ownership is ready to make some major changes regarding those two players or whether general manager Jim Nill’s job is in jeopardy, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman interviewed owner Tom Gaglardi.

“Our best players have to be our best players,” Gaglardi said. “This is not about trading anyone. This is not about firing anyone. We are in danger of missing the playoffs for the third straight year, and this team is built to win and contend now. We need to take advantage of the opportunity we have in front of us.”

While Gaglardi made it clear that the franchise hopes to impart the importance of turning their season around now, Friedman believes that major changes are coming if the team fails to make the playoffs again. The Stars are currently in fourth place in the Central Division with a 19-16-3 record and 41 points, just two points in front of Minnesota. The Vancouver Canucks, in the Pacific, are one point out of that wildcard spot with 40 points.

  • The Winnipeg Jets have to hold their breath after Dustin Byfuglien went down with an apparent leg injury during the third period of Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Wild and didn’t return. Winnipeg head coach Paul Maurice had no update on their star blueliner after the game, according to Sportsnet’s Emily Sadler. The 6-foot-5, 260-pound defenseman collided with Minnesota’s Luke Kunin midway through the period and replays show that Kunin’s leg collided with Byfuglien’s knee. The 33-year-old is having a solid season, posting four goals and 29 points in 32 games. Any long-term loss could be crippling for a team that is trying to hold off both Nashville and Colorado in the Central Division.
  • Staying with the Jets in the Central, Luke Fox of Sportsnet wonders how long they can keep up their solid play with the play of goaltender Connor Hellebuyck this year. A Vezina finalist just last year, the 25-year-old ranks 27th in the NHL in save percentage (among goalies that have appeared in 12 or more games) with a .909 percentage, same as the league average. Last year, Hellebuyck had a .924. Hellebuyck was vocal at the beginning of the year about the shrinking goalie equipment and more recently about players entering the crease with more frequency. “They don’t want it to change,” Hellebuyck told reporters, referring to the league. “They like the goals. They want more goals and want to take more from us … What needs to happen is a penalty needs to be called.”
  • Chicago Blackhawks head coach Jeremy Colliton said that there remains no timetable on a potential return for starting goaltender Corey Crawford, who suffered another concussion on Dec. 16, according to the Daily Herald’s John Dietz. Colliton said he’s reached out to Crawford via texts, but he refuses to push the veteran goaltender for a timeline on when he may be ready to return. “That’s part of what my experience (is) going through this,” said Colliton, who retired at age 28 due to concussions himself. “There is no timeframe. You get better when you get better, and putting pressure or me asking him everyday how he’s feeling, that serves no purpose. When he feels better, I’ll know. And then we’ll proceed accordingly.”

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