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Brendan Lemieux Suspended Two Games For Illegal Check

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The decision has been made on Winnipeg Jets forward Brendan Lemieux. The Department of Player Safety has suspended Lemieux for two games following his illegal check to the head of Florida Panthers forward Vincent Trocheck. Lemieux delivered a check almost exclusively to the head of Trocheck, and was given a match penalty for the contact in addition to the fighting major he earned after MacKenzie Weegar initiated a fight. As the accompanying video explains:

It is important to note that the head is clearly the main point of contact on this hit, and that the head contact on this hit was avoidable. While Trocheck is playing the puck, he does not materially change the position of his head or body just prior to contact in a way that contributes to the head being the main point of contact on this hit. If Lemieux wants to deliver this check, he must take an angle of approach that hits through Trocheck’s shoulder and core rather than picking his head and making it the main point of contact.

Lemieux, 22, hasn’t faced any previous disciplinary action from the DoPS, but that’s not saying a lot considering his NHL career is just 18 games old. The 31st-overall pick from the 2014 draft, he was traded by the Buffalo Sabres as part of the Evander Kane deal several years ago and has racked up 328 penalty minutes in 125 AHL games. Though his physical play is encouraged and a big part of his game, there will be increased punishments by the league if he continues to engage in dangerous hits like this.

Trocheck returned to the game and finished with 19 minutes of ice time, luckily escaping a major injury. The Panthers aren’t back in action until Thursday, giving him some extra time to recover from any ill effects. Lemieux meanwhile will miss at least a week, given that the Jets don’t play again until Friday. He will be eligible to return to the lineup on Wednesday, November 14th.

Winnipeg’s Brendan Lemieux Will Get Hearing With Department Of Player Safety

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Sunday: The Department of Player Safety announced that Lemieux’s hearing will take place Monday afternoon.

Saturday: The Department of Player Safety announced that there will be a hearing for Winnipeg Jets forward Brendan Lemieux for his illegal check against Florida Panthers forward Vincent Trocheck Friday in the NHL Global Series in Finland. No time and date have been set yet.

Lemieux clipped Trocheck directly in the head as he passed by him in the neutral zone (video here) during the second period of the game. Lemieux was given a match penalty, triggering an automatic review of the hit. Immediately after, Lemieux and Florida Panthers’ MacKenzie Weegar got into a fight with Lemieux ejected afterwards.

Lemieux, the son of former NHLer Claude Lemieux, is still trying to find his scoring touch as he hasn’t posted a point so far in nine games this season and only has one NHL goal to his name, picked up last season. The 22-year-old was a second-round pick back in 2014 and accumulated 300 penalty minutes in two seasons in the AHL.

Minor Transactions: 11/03/18

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It’s a busy time in the NHL, with 24 teams scheduled to square off over the course of the day. The action kicks off with a matinee featuring division rivals, Buffalo and Ottawa. Later tonight, heavyweights do battle with Tampa Bay-Montreal, Toronto-Pittsburgh, Boston-Nashville, and Chicago-Calgary. It could also be a big day for transactions, as teams get set to face the week ahead. Keep up with all of the minor moves right here:

  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled forward Trevor Moore from the AHL Marlies, the team announced. Moore, 23, is off to a terrific start to the minor league season with twelve points in ten games. That effort may earn him his NHL debut on this most recent call-up. An undrafted free agent out of the University of Denver, Moore is in his third season with the organization but has played exclusively with the Marlies. After back-to-back 33-point regular season campaigns, Moore took a step forward in the postseason, registering 17 points in 20 games en route to a Calder Cup. He has kept that hot streak going this season and will now try to translate his ability to the next level. A Mitch Marner-style player, Moore could fit in nicely with the Maple Leafs if given the opportunity.
  • CapFriendly reports that the Anaheim Ducks have reassigned forward Kalle Kossila to their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls. Kossila was activated from the season-opening injured reserve last week and made his season debut for the Ducks on Thursday night. The St. Cloud product has dominated at the AHL level since turning pro in 2016, but has only managed to skate in twelve games and record two points for Anaheim. Expected to play a more regular role this season, it is possible that Kossila’s assignment is simply a paper transaction to save cap space ahead of a stretch of four games in six nights. However, it also would not be a surprise to see Kossila spend some time in the AHL, where he will quickly re-discover his scoring touch, before being handed significant minutes by the Ducks.
  • The New York Islanders announced (via Twitter) that they have re-assigned goaltender Christopher Gibson to Bridgeport of the AHL.  He was recalled on an emergency basis on Wednesday with Robin Lehner banged up but he is now capable as dressing as the backup goalie which eliminated the need for Gibson.  The 25-year-old Gibson has struggled in the early going this season, posting 4.21 GAA and a .861 SV% through six games in the minors.
  • Jon Rosen of Fox Sports reports that the Los Angeles Kings have assigned forward Austin Wagner and defenseman Sean Walker to the Ontario Reign of the AHL, but the reporter wasn’t sure who the team intended to recall. CapFriendly now reports that Los Angeles has recalled forwards Michael Amadio and Matt Luff. While Luff has yet to make his NHL debut, Amadio has been with the team for most of the season, getting into nine games. However, after scoring just one goal, the Kings sent him to Ontario to work on his game. He played one game there, posting three assists and already has been recalled.
  • The Colorado Avalanche announced they have sent forward A.J. Greer to the Colorado Eagles of the AHL. With the Avalanche on a four-day break before returning to work, it’s likely the team has sent Greer down to get some work. He has played in eight games for the Eagles and has posted eight points, but has appeared in just one game with the Avalanche. BSN Denver’s AJ Haefele writes that it’s likely that Greer will be back when the Avalanche return to action on Wednesday. However, if he isn’t recalled, that might suggest that center Tyson Jost might be ready to return to the ice.
  • The Winnipeg Jets announced they have returned defenseman Tucker Poolman and goaltender Eric Comrie to the Manitoba Moose of the AHL after taking the pair as non-roster players on their trip to Helsinki, Finland. Poolman has played six games for the Moose and has three assists in six games. The 23-year-old Comrie has also played solidly for Manitoba this year. He has put up a .917 save percentage and a 2.80 GAA in five games.

 

Snapshots: “Trade Bait”, Lindholm, Spezza

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The second month of the NHL season is underway and with it comes the first iteration of TSN’s “Trade Bait” board. To no surprise, unsigned Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander tops the list. With the countdown at 28 days until the December 1st deadline for Nylander to sign and play in the NHL this season, the impasse between the two sides is desperately in need of a resolution, and with each day that goes by, a trade looks more and more likely. TSN’s Frank Seravalli notes that it was the first week of November last year when No. 1-ranked trade bait player Matt Duchene was traded away, making it entirely possible that a Nylander trade or other big name move could drop in the next few days. Joining Nylander in the top six of the list are recent rumor mill highlights Kevin Hayes of the New York Rangers and Alec Martinez and Tanner Pearson of the Los Angeles Kings, as well as summer trade bait board holdout Mats Zuccarello, also of the Rangers, and perennial rumor monger Gustav Nyquist of the Detroit Red Wings. Both free agency-bound Columbus Blue Jackets superstars – Sergei Bobrovsky and Artemi Panarin – feature in the top ten, as does a possible Nylander return piece Brett Pesce of the Carolina Hurricanes. A surprise addition is Winnipeg Jets defenseman Tyler Myers, who seems unlikely to move in the midst of what the Jets hope is a Stanley Cup-caliber season. So too is Wayne Simmonds, who the Philadelphia Flyers seemingly would like to re-sign and keep on as a leader and core contributor, but the Flyers’ success this season will likely determine his availability. The trade board is limited to just 15 names right now, but this initial list certainly features plenty of talent and some names that have already featured prominently in rumors. TSN may have perfect timing, as the NHL trade market seems ready to heat up.

  • One of the off-season’s biggest trades almost went differently, writes Sportsnet’s Luke Fox. Fox talked to new Calgary Flames head coach Bill Peters recently, who stated that he expected a different package from a different team entirely in return for defenseman Dougie Hamilton, only to find that his former club, the Carolina Hurricanes, had offered the top package of Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin. Peters (obviously) says that he likes the way the deal turned out. While Hanifin is off to a slow start in Calgary, Lindholm has been an excellent fit next to Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau on the top line and currently sports a 24.3% shooting percentage to go with a team-leading nine goals and total of 14 points.
  • Fox also recently spoke with Dallas Stars center Jason Spezza, who this past week played in his 1,000th NHL game, about how he is approaching a contract year. Spezza was transparent with his answer:

“Not when you’re 35. You don’t care about the contract years… I just want to play the year, have a good year. I want to be back here next year. The money doesn’t matter. I just want to play and make sure I have a good role… It’s different when you’re at this point in my career. I just want to be on a team that has a chance to win. So, no, I can’t say that’s once played into my mind… That time has passed in my career. I’m just looking to play and be on a good team and have a good role and contribute… If you put the work into it, you get rewarded with big contracts. I can honestly say I don’t think I’ve ever played the game for the money.”

Spezza’s honesty is refreshing, but he also contradicts himself with a scenario that is likely to unfold as the season progresses. Spezza states that he wants to be back in Dallas next season, yet also wants a chance to finally win the Stanley Cup. Those two things may not coincide soon enough for the veteran center. The Stars currently share the 14th-best record in the NHL, but sit sixth out of seven in the powerhouse Central Division and have struggled to score goals early on this season. If Dallas cannot improve over the course of the season, Spezza will become an attractive trade rental candidate, especially since his eight points thus far indicate a bounce-back season compared to a disappointing 2017-18 campaign. Dallas may also be a few years away from really competing with the likes of Nashville and Winnipeg in the Central. A desire to win may make a continued career with the Stars less likely, but would make Spezza’s decision to waive his No-Movement Clause and choices in free agency much easier.

Winnipeg Jets Have “No Intention” Of Trading Tyler Myers

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If you were to peruse the list of players scheduled for unrestricted free agency next summer, in hopes of gaining some insight over the upcoming trade deadline market, one name seems to stick out among the defensemen. Even as Erik Karlsson takes much of the spotlight from the group, Tyler Myers of the Winnipeg Jets represents another star right-handed defenseman who could help basically every team in the league. That’s including his own, despite the Jets’ depth on the right side with Dustin Byfuglien and Jacob Trouba, as Myers is creating a mismatch by being an anchor on the third pairing.

The big defenseman is currently carrying a $5.5MM cap hit, and with new contracts due for restricted free agents Trouba, Kyle Connor and Patrik Laine in the summer, there may not be enough cash to bring Myers back. Even if he doesn’t have a new contract though, it doesn’t look like the Jets are willing to deal him anytime soon. On the latest edition of Insider Trading on TSN, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic states that the Jets have “no intention” of trading Myers at the deadline even if they can’t get him signed by then. Winnipeg is “all-in” for this season, and rely on their deep defensive corps as much as anything to contend in the Western Conference.

LeBrun does note that Myers’ agent did meet with Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff recently to at least work out where the team stands in regards to his client, but it does not sound like any actual contract negotiation has taken place. You can bet the entire league is monitoring the situation closely even if Myers is off the market for now, hoping that a mid-season swoon could make the Jets rethink their position.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Snapshots: Three Stars, Betting, Rasmussen

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The NHL has decided on their Three Stars for the most recent week of hockey, and leading the way is someone who is no stranger to individual accolades. Sidney Crosby is the first star, after recording seven points in three games including two highlight reel efforts against the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames. Crosby continues to shine as he enters the back half of his career, and is well on his way to another point-per-game campaign.

The other two spots go to young Western Conference stars, with Mark Scheifele and Mikko Rantanen garnering second and third star respectively. Scheifele has developed into one of the very best two-way centers in the entire league, and will lead the Winnipeg Jets into action in Finland this week. Rantanen meanwhile is part of the hottest line in hockey for the Colorado Avalanche, and currently leads the league in points with 21 through his first 12 games.

  • The NHL has announced a partnership with MGM Resorts to enter the world of sports betting, giving the organization use of their official branding and trademarks. Commissioner Gary Bettman spoke very positively about the development as he announced it, and also explained that player tracking systems will be ready to implement next season. The league expects the partnership to first and foremost help with fan engagement, though it also will provide a new revenue stream.
  • Though it had been expected, head coach Jeff Blashill of the Detroit Red Wings confirmed that Michael Rasmussen will remain with the team for the time being. Rasmussen has currently played nine games in the NHL this season, meaning his next test will burn the first year of his entry-level contract. Blashill spoke highly of his young rookie, and explained that he’ll be moved back to center as they deal with injuries to some of their other options.

Trade Rumors: Hurricanes, Hayes, Pearson

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The Carolina Hurricanes have been one of the biggest early surprises of the 2018-19 season with a 6-3-1 record that trails only the powerhouse Pittsburgh Penguins in the Metropolitan Division. The team is in the top half of the league in goals for and against, led by top-ten NHL scorer Sebastian Aho and a top-six on defense that rivals anyone in the league. The Hurricanes are certainly not without flaws, special teams and goaltending to highlight a couple, but overall have been very impressive with one of the youngest rosters in the league. Yet, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun writes that new GM Don Waddell is “open for business”. Given the surplus of talented defenseman on the Carolina roster and in the system, Waddell simply has the luxury of fielding offers from D-needy teams and waiting for the right offer. Potentially on the block could be long-time ’Cane Justin Faulk, young Brett Pesce, or reliable Trevor van Riemsdyk. Each of Carolina’s top-six defensemen is signed through at least next season, making these three righties attractive long-term additions. Teams in search of a younger asset could also take a look at AHLers Haydn Fleury or Roland McKeown, long considered by many to be players that should be playing regular minutes in the NHL. Garrioch notes that the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers are among the teams most desperate for help on the right side of the blue line and adds fuel to the fire by reporting that Toronto GM Kyle Dubas was in attendance at the ’Canes last game. It has been rumored that Carolina could be the leading candidate to land disgruntled William Nylander, while Edmonton could be willing to part with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in the right deal. Waddell’s first trade, in which he acquired Micheal Ferland and Dougie Hamilton from the Calgary Flames, has worked out nicely thus far. Can he do it again?

  • It comes as no surprise that New York Rangers center Kevin Hayes is drawing trade interest. Despite his insistence that he would like to remain in New York, the one-year extension he signed this off-season said otherwise. The rebuilding Rangers are likely to deal Hayes, one of many younger centers on the roster, before he has the chance to walk as a free agent. Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reports that many teams already have their eye on Hayes, implying that he may not last until the NHL Trade Deadline. Kypreos specifically names the Winnipeg Jets as a team in need of a center, after Paul Stastny’s unexpected departure this summer has left them short-handed down the middle. However, the Jets are not alone in that predicament; after losing Riley Nash to free agency and a failed preseason competition for the spot, the Boston Bruins could very much use a rental player at third-line pivot, while the trades of three different centers away from the club this summer has left the Arizona Coyotes thin at the position. These are just three of what is likely to be a list of more than a dozen suitors for the Rangers to choose between. Hayes’ days are numbered in New York.
  • One name that could be a sneaky candidate to be the first notable trade victim of the regular season is Los Angeles Kings forward Tanner Pearson. The Kings are floundering this season, holders of the worst record in the Western Conference, and Pearson has been part of the problem. The 26-year-old winger has just one point through ten games and has looked like a shell of himself. In Pearson’s defense, the Kings have also cut his ice time somewhat and relegated him to the fourth line for a while, but only as a result of his poor performance. Yet, Pearson has totaled 36 points or more in each of the past three year and is quietly a very strong two-way player. It would not be a shock to see Pearson right the ship with a change of scenery, but the Kings would have to ensure that they don’t sell too low on the well-rounded forward. Trade inquiries come with the territory of a basement record though and L.A., needing to shake things up, may soon be tempted to give Pearson away for the right price.

Toronto’s Auston Matthews Suffers Shoulder Injury

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Sunday: Head coach Mike Babcock said that Matthews will be re-evaluated on Monday, according to NHL.com’s Dave McCarthy. However, Babcock did admit that Matthews will not practice Sunday or play in Monday’s game against Calgary.

“He’s not ready right away for sure,” Babcock said.

Saturday: The Toronto Maple Leafs got some bad news as star Auston Matthews suffered a shoulder injury during the second period of their game against the Winnipeg Jets Saturday. The center took a big hit (video here) from Winnipeg’s Jacob Trouba and skated off in pain, immediately exiting the game. It didn’t take long before the team announced that he will not return to the game. This marks the third shoulder injury in his career.

Any significant injury would be devastating for both Matthews and the team. The 21-year-old Matthews is having the best start of his career, posting 10 goals and 16 points in the team’s first 10 games (not including this one), but he missed 20 games due to injury last year (including a second-degree shoulder separation injury) and the Maple Leafs would like to avoid another long stretch of games without their star center. Matthews also suffered a significant shoulder injury in juniors. Any injury would likely push John Tavares into an even bigger role for the team as well as promote Nazem Kadri to the team’s second line.

If Matthews does miss time, it could be a way for restricted free agent William Nylander to get that extra leverage and force the team to hand him a contract closer to the $8MM pricetag that he’s asking for. The two sides have been far apart in contract negotiations as time is starting to run out. A significant injury could force Toronto to add some money to the deal to get him into their lineup as quick as possible to keep their offense rolling.

Central Notes: Laine, Vesalainen, Dickinson, Fortin

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Despite winger Patrik Laine finding himself on the fourth line for a second straight game, Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice came to his player’s defense today. The 20-year-old Laine has just one even-strength point so far this season, prompting Maurice to swap Mathieu Perreault with Laine on Friday in their 2-1 win over Detroit. The move had few ramifications towards Laine’s numbers as he still managed to play 17:08 throughout the game. Yet the coach was quick to defend him.

“He’s 20,” Maurice said (via TSN’s Mark Masters). “He’s going to keep getting better…We need him to continue. He’s 20 & just learning the game.”

Maurice said the main goal of making the switch between Laine and Perrault was that Perrault was “buzzing” and he wanted to give the veteran a bigger role, pointing out that the power play (with Laine) was still “outstanding.”

  • Sticking with Jets, the Winnipeg Sun’s Ted Wyman reports that the recall of Tucker Poolman is expected to be the last roster move before the team travels to Finland for their two-game global series with the Florida Panthers. That means that 19-year-old Finn Kristian Vesalainen, the team’s 2017 first-rounder, won’t be going on the trip then as he remains with the Manitoba Moose of the AHL. He has four assists in two games there, but still hasn’t been brought back to Winnipeg.
  • Mark Stepneski of NHL.com writes that Dallas Stars winger Jason Dickinson has seen his confidence soar in the last week and is starting to show that he can provide some of that secondary scoring the team desperately needs. The team has gotten 15 of its 19 goals this season from four players, including Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, John Klingberg and Alexander Radulov. However, Dickinson showed some impressive play last Tuesday, although all he got out of it was an assist. However, he followed that up Thursday with a two goal, three-point night, showing he can put up numbers. “I think it’s been building since training camp,” head coach Jim Montgomery said. “For a player to start to gain confidence in this league, it’s not easy. We thought he had a really good training camp and then the season started with a bit of inconsistency, but you’re starting to see it build.”
  • The Chicago Tribune’s Jimmy Greenfield writes that Chicago Blackhawks forward Alexandre Fortin is starting to find his place on the Blackhawks’ roster. The 21-year-old has two goals and an assist over the past four games, and while head coach Joel Quenneville keeps changing lines on him, but the coach likes Fortin’s speed a little more than his defensive deficiencies. “(Defense) is a work in progress, but it’s been a good start for him,” Quenneville said. “It’s been a positive beginning because his speed has definitely been a big factor.”

Minor Transactions: 10/27/18

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Rivalries are set to renew tonight, with the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens set to square off for the first time this season and the St. Louis Blues looking to bounce back from two early losses to the Chicago Blackhawks. Teams in action tonight as well as teams adjusting from a particularly painful slate of games last night will be making roster moves throughout the day. Keep up with the changes here:

  • One of those aforementioned injuries last night was sustained by the Ottawa Senators’ Zack Smith, who sustained a facial fracture in a loss to the Colorado Avalanche. With the Sens currently on a road trip and set to face the Vegas Golden Knights tomorrow, the team has worked quickly to replace Smith’s roster spot. The team announced the recall of forward Jack Rodewald from their AHL affiliate in Belleville. Rodewald skated in four games with Ottawa last season and was held scoreless, but is off to a hot start in the minors with seven points in eight games.
  • The Edmonton Oilers have activated defenseman Matt Benning from the injured reserve. Benning was placed on the IR last week with an undisclosed injury and has returned as soon as possible from the mysterious ailment. In a corresponding move, the Oilers have returned Kevin Gravel to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors. Gravel had been called up to replace Benning, but saw very limited ice time in two games with Edmonton. The free agent addition will have to return to the minors, where he had played well, and continue to show that he is worthy of an NHL roster spot.
  • Veteran forward Ryan White has signed a PTO with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets, the team announced. White, spent the entire 2017-18 season outside the NHL – split between the AHL’s San Diego Gulls and Iowa Wild – for the first time since his first pro season in the Montreal Canadiens’s system in 2008-09. The experienced grinder has had trouble locking down a job at all for this season, attending camp with the Minnesota Wild and then returning to Iowa, but to no avail. The owner of 313 NHL games (and 447 penalty minutes) could bring leadership and grit to Manitoba if he can prove that he can still skate at a pro level. White is the type of player who could even earn a pro-rated NHL contract late in the year with Winnipeg as fourth line depth. Only time will tell how this latest stop works out for the veteran.
  • The Jets have recalled defenseman Tucker Poolman from Manitoba, who makes his return to the Winnipeg lineup. The 25-year-old skated in 25 games with the Jets last year in his first pro season, but failed to break camp this year. The University of North Dakota stalwart is a more than capable defender, but suffers from playing in a deep organization. Blocked by Jacob Trouba, Dustin Byfuglien, and Tyler Myers on the right side of the blue line, Poolman is not guaranteed to see the ice on this recall, but will make the most of the opportunity if he does.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning decided to go with a veteran minor league defenseman to replace Victor Hedman in the lineup for the next week until he is re-evaluated while the all-star is forced to sit out with an upper-body injury. The Lightning announced they have recalled Cameron Gaunce from Syracuse of the AHL who likely will be used as an extra defender for the team. The 28-year-old has already played eight full seasons in the AHL, while only having appeared in 32 NHL games during that span. He currently has a goal and an assist in six games with the Crunch.

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