Ottawa Senators Recall Casey Bailey, Max McCormick From AHL
After losing several forwards to injury last night against the Winnipeg Jets, the Ottawa Senators have recalled two players from Binghamton to help fill the gaps. Casey Bailey and Max McCormick will both come up and likely see playing time right away, as the Senators will face New Jersey tomorrow night. Mike Hoffman, Mark Stone and Tommy Wingels all left the game last night after suffering injuries, and though there hasn’t been an official update on their status, the call-ups likely mean that at least two of them will miss some time. This comes on the heels of the news that Bobby Ryan will miss several weeks with a fractured wrist.
Bailey came over from the Toronto Maple Leafs last season in the Dion Phaneuf trade, and has played just five games with the big club this season. For the baby-Sens though, he’s been an effective scoring threat if not the dominant power forward some had hoped he could become when the Leafs signed him out of college in 2015. He has 14 goals in 44 games in the AHL this season, though he hasn’t scored for Ottawa.
McCormick is much of the same, scoring at a solid pace in the AHL but held pointless in a five game stint for Ottawa. Another NCAA import, McCormick is smaller than Bailey but a much more physical presence on the ice. Willing to drop his gloves if the need arises, his hard forecheck is the signature of his game.
Neither of these players are capable replacements for Stone or Hoffman, who lead the team in goals with 22 and 19 respectively. If the Senators are without either or both for a considerable amount of time, perhaps they’ll look even harder at players available on the trade market as we get close to the deadline. With the Montreal Canadiens within striking distance, the Senators could easily take over first place in the Atlantic Division by the end of the season and guarantee themselves home ice advantage throughout the first few rounds. On the other hand, the Bruins, Maple Leafs and now Panthers are all nipping at their heels for the second spot, and time without their top offensive threats would put them at risk of even securing a playoff spot. Welcome to the Eastern Conference, where everyone is still in it.
Jacob Trouba To Have Disciplinary Hearing
After a hit last night that knocked Ottawa Senators Mark Stone out of the game last night, Winnipeg’s Jacob Trouba will have a hearing this afternoon with the NHL Department of Player Safety to determine if there will be any further disciplinary action.
Trouba hit Stone’s head on the check, which happened midway through the third period. Stone suffered a concussion at the beginning of the season, making this at least the second just this season should he fail the protocol today. Trouba does seem to extend his arm to hit the head.
The Jets can’t afford to lose Trouba for the next several games at least, as they have pulled themselves into the playoff race once again. Since Trouba’s lockout following a long contract negotiation this summer, he’s become perhaps the second most important defenseman on the Jets. Logging close to 25 minutes a night, Tyler Myers injury opened the door for Trouba to step into the starring role he had looked for.
Bob McKenzie on TSN1260 said that it would be “games for sure” for Trouba today. He doesn’t think Trouba picked out Stone’s head on purpose, but since there was almost no body-on-body contact, the book will be thrown at the Jets defenseman.
Trade Candidate: Drew Stafford
With the trade deadline quickly approaching, we will be profiling several players in the weeks ahead that are likely to be dealt by March 1st.
Winnipeg’s Drew Stafford is often an overlooked piece of the Evander Kane blockbuster back in 2015. He had a good first full season with the Jets but has underachieved this year which makes him a player that they may be looking to move in the coming days.
Contract
Final year of a two year, $8.7MM deal ($4.35MM cap hit and salary) – Will be a UFA in July.
2016-17
This hasn’t been a good walk year to say the least for the 31 year old. He has missed 21 games due to a pair of injuries this season and now that he’s healthy again, he has found himself on the Jets’ fourth line in recent games.
On top of those problems, his production has dried up. After a 21 goal season in 2015-16, he has just four tallies on the year which, for a player who was expected to be a top six forward, isn’t getting the job done. Stafford’s game isn’t ideally suited to a checking role either which is why he has been dropped even further and looks like a prime change-of-scenery candidate.
Season Stats
39 GP, 4 goals, 8 assists, 12 points, -3 rating, 12 PIMS, 66 shots, 13:16 ATOI, 46.2 CF%
Potential Suitors
Stafford isn’t going to fit into a top six role on a contending team but is the type of big winger that several teams may like on an offensive-minded third line. As teams look to deepen their rosters at this time of the year, there should be some fits around the league.
In the West, the Kings line up as a potential fit. Head coach Darryl Sutter likes size on the wing and while they’re a deep team on paper, several of their wings have failed to live up to expectations so an addition in that area is likely to happen. While Stafford is also underachieving, he may prove to be a better fit in a third line role for them. Nashville may also be one to watch for. They have a good crop of wingers on the roster currently but their better prospects aren’t fully ready for prime time action if injuries strike which makes someone like Stafford an intriguing insurance policy.
Out East, Senators GM Pierre Dorion has talked about the importance of forward depth all season. While they’ve already added Tommy Wingels, Curtis Lazar’s name has been popping up in trade speculation as of late and Stafford could serve as a replacement if the youngster moves. The Bruins have played their way back into the playoff picture and have plenty of cap space to work with. They have some underachieving wingers as well and may be looking to give a look to someone outside of the organization.
Likelihood Of A Trade
Considering Winnipeg’s depth up front, it’s reasonable to think that they will likely want to move him regardless of what route they decide to go on deadline day. That said, Stafford’s cap hit isn’t something that many teams will want to absorb in full, especially considering how much he has struggled this season. If GM Kevin Cheveldayoff is willing to retain to get a deal done, there’s a very good chance he’ll move as some teams will look at his track record and deem him worthy of a shot at a discounted price. If they’re not willing to hold any money back in the deal though, the odds of a move will drop considerably.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Deadline Primer: Winnipeg Jets
With the trade deadline now just weeks away, we’re going to start taking a closer look at each team. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs?
It has been a bit of a strange season for the Winnipeg Jets. Despite being one of the highest scoring teams in the league, they find themselves out of a playoff spot in large part due to some below average goaltending. However, they’re still somewhat close enough to a Wild Card berth that they could go either way when it comes to the trade deadline.
Record
26-29-5 record, 5th in Central Division
Deadline Status
Likely seller but could also be a buyer depending on the position they’re acquiring.
Deadline Cap Space
$25.4MM – full-season cap hit, 43/50 contracts
Draft Picks
2017: WPG 1st, WPG 2nd, WPG 3rd, WPG 4th, WPG 5th, WPG 6th, MTL 7th, WPG 7th
2018: WPG 1st, WPG 2nd, WPG 3rd, WPG 4th, WPG 5th, WPG 6th, WPG 7th
Trade Chips
Considering where they are in the standings, it’s fair to think that they will be open to moving out at least most of their pending unrestricted free agents, especially up front where they have strong depth with youngsters such as recent first rounders Kyle Connor and Jack Roslovic who aren’t far away from being NHL ready.
They also have a decision to make regarding winger/center Mathieu Perreault. While they gave him a contract extension prior to the start of the season, he is a candidate to be left unprotected in June’s expansion draft. With that in mind, do they look to move him by the beginning of March and ensure they get something for him in return?
Five Players To Watch For: RW Scott Kosmachuk, G Ondrej Pavelec, LW Mathieu Perreault, D Paul Postma, RW Drew Stafford
Team Needs
1) Goaltending Upgrade – While the Jets were certainly hoping Connor Hellebuyck would be able to shoulder the number one job this season, he has been consistently inconsistent between the pipes which isn’t all that uncommon for a young goalie. Michael Hutchinson has struggled in a backup role and while Pavelec picked up a few wins after being summoned from the minors, he hasn’t exactly played like a starter either (and is currently on injured reserve).
Winnipeg remains hopeful that Hellebuyck can be their starter of the future but he’s not a true number one now. If they intend to compete for a playoff spot this season, they would do well to bring in a more established starter with a shorter term remaining on his contract (either an expiring deal or someone with a year left after this one). Even if they’re looking towards next season, this would make some sense as considering how many goalies are believed to be available, it would be a great time for GM Kevin Cheveldayoff to try to capitalize on what should be a buyers’ market at that position.
2) Third Pairing Blueline Help – While the Jets are thought of as a team with a lot of defensive depth, that isn’t exactly the case at the moment. Head coach Paul Maurice has leaned heavily on their top two pairings and have only used third pairing players like Postma, Ben Chiarot, and Mark Stuart in limited situations. The fact that Tyler Myers recently underwent surgery and is set to be out until mid-to-late March at the earliest means that this is set to continue for a while yet.
If Winnipeg is going to push for the playoffs, adding someone who can take some pressure off of their top blueliners would be a very welcome pickup. Even if they don’t envision making the postseason this year, it’s still an area that they should be looking to address for next year. If they do opt to sell, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them try to add a young defender who could push for a depth spot next season instead of just looking for draft picks.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Snapshots: Therrien, Enstrom, Lazar, Varlamov
Following his sudden firing from the Canadiens earlier this week, former head coach Michel Therrien released a statement (via the Montreal Gazette):
I would first like to thank the Montreal Canadiens organization, especially Geoff Molson and Marc Bergevin, for the experience of five remarkable years. The Montreal Canadiens have always been a great organization, and recent events in no way change my perception of the team and its management.
Being an NHL coach is a tough job: it is gratifying on many levels but it can also quickly become a thankless task. When a team is experiencing difficulties, any head coach knows his job is on the line. I understand and accept this reality.
I would like to thank fans in Montreal and across Quebec, as well as members of the media. I also salute the coaches and staff I have worked with over the years and, above all, the many players whom I had the privilege of coaching.
I leave with my head held high: I am very proud of the work accomplished over the past five years. The current team can aspire to great honours, and I wish my colleague Claude Julien every success in the future.”
Let’s take a look at some other notes from around the NHL:
- The Jets announced (via Twitter) that defenseman Toby Enstrom had surgery yesterday on “an existing lower body injury.” The 32-year-old is expected to be sidelined for two-to-three weeks. In 55 games this season, the 10-year veteran has collected one goal and 13 assists.
- Curtis Lazar is set to return to the Senators lineup tonight, and Mike Halford of Pro Hockey Talk writes that the return could help boost the forward’s trade value. The 22-year-old’s agent is set to meet with the team’s front office, and Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen believes the player could ask for a trade. In 29 games this season, the former first-round pick has compiled a single assist.
- Following reports that Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov was set to miss the rest of the season, general manager Joe Sakic said the organization is hoping the 28-year-old will return to full strength for next season. “I expect him to be fully healthy next year,” Sakic said (via Terry Frei of the Denver Post). “He’s had the problems with his groin the last couple of years, and this year, but he’s a worker, he cares, he’s a guy who puts a lot of pressure on that area the way he plays.” In 24 games (23 starts) this season, Varlamov has gone 6-17 with a .898 save percentage.
Morning Transactions: Blue Jackets, Jets, Canucks
News and notes from around the NHL this morning:
- The Blue Jackets have added winger Oliver Bjorkstrand to the roster on an emergency recall, the team announced (via Twitter). The 21-year-old has compiled one assist and six penalty minutes in five games for Columbus this season. Down in Cleveland, the former third-rounder has scored 14 goals and collected 12 assists in 37 games. Bjorkstrand participated in the AHL All-Star Classic earlier this season.
- The Jets have recalled defenseman Julian Melchiori from their AHL affiliate and placed goalie Ondrej Pavelec on the injured reserve, the team announced (via Twitter). Melchiori has played four games for the big-league club this season, giving him a total of 16 career NHL games under his belt. In 32 games for Manitoba this season, the 25-year-old has posted two goals and four assists. Meanwhile, Pavelec was placed on the IR retroactive to February 7th. In eight starts this season, the goalie has gone 4-4 with an .888 save percentage.
- The Canucks have recalled forward Brendan Gaunce from the Utica Comets, the team announced (via Twitter). The 2012 first-round pick has played in 47 games for the Canucks this season, collecting only five assists. As a rookie during the 2015-2016 season, the 22-year-old scored a single goal in 20 games.
Atlantic Notes: Maple Leafs, Bruins, Canadiens
For the Maple Leafs, the past calendar year has been one of wild swings. In the last 12 months (and a few days) the team dealt team captain Dion Phaneuf to Ottawa for cap relief, finished last in the NHL, drafted the future face of the franchise and vaulted themselves into playoff contention. In the last few weeks though the team has held on tight as the roller-coaster has tilted up on two wheels.
The team currently sits tied with Philadelphia for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot, but has had trouble keeping the puck out of their own net in recent weeks. After two back-to-back shutouts over Calgary and Detroit in late January, the team has allowed 30 goals in eight games and gone 2-4-2. Kristen Shilton of TSN reports on their mediocrity and where the team’s mindset is as they try to turn things around. One of the positive notes has been the play of William Nylander, who after an early season demotion to the fourth line has recharged his defensive tanks and become a leader on a shutdown line with Nazem Kadri and Leo Komarov.
The team has no time to settle in though, with a condensed schedule and eight games in the fifteen nights remaining in February. They’ll take on the New York Islanders tomorrow on home ice.
- The Boston Bruins are 3-0 with their new head coach, getting a boost from the new voice of Bruce Cassidy behind the bench. They tore apart their rival Montreal Canadiens last night 4-0 and have put some space between them and the struggling Maple Leafs. Perhaps the coaching move was the right choice, but they’re in for a tough road trip when they come back off their mandated bye-week. The team will hit the road on the west coast with matchups against San Jose, Anaheim, Los Angeles and Dallas out of the break—a tough schedule for anyone.
- Montreal could do with a little of that coaching magic, writes Michael Traikos of the National Post. While the Bruins surge, the Canadiens flounder at the top of the Atlantic Division, now only six points ahead of the Ottawa Senators despite having played five more games. For what at one point looked like a lock for the top see in the division, Montreal now faces a tough final stretch of games. Traikos opines that Michel Therrien should be fired like his Boston counterpart, despite still holding onto that top seed. For now he remains with the team an they’ll come out of their break against the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday.
- Hopefully they will return with some help, says Ken Campbell of The Hockey News. In his latest column, Campbell examines the Canadiens need for some secondary scoring help behind the top duo of Max Pacioretty and Alexander Radulov. After Colorado Avalanche GM Joe Sakic and AGM Chris McFarland were seen in attendance at the Bruins-Habs matchup on Sunday, hope sprung in Montreal about a possible addition of one of the two young players on the Avalanche trade-block. Both Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog would provide a nice punch to the second line for the Habs, though the asking price remains as high as ever.
Trade Candidates: Ondrej Pavelec
With the trade deadline quickly approaching, we will be profiling several players in the weeks ahead that are likely to be dealt by March 1st.
Ondrej Pavelec entered the league with much fanfare, but never developed into an elite goaltender. He’s had sparks of success—including 2014-15 where he posted a 2.28 GAA and a .920 SV%—but he’s regressed that past two years to a borderline AHL goaltender. Maybe Pavelec needs a change of scenery to reboot his career, but his current stats do not provide much optimism for increased performance.
Contract
Pavelec is in the final year of an escalating base salary deal averaging $3.9MM a year. He will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
2016-17
Bumpy is the best way to describe Pavelec’s season so far. In a surprisingly but not entirely shocking move, the Winnipeg Jets sent Pavelec down to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose to start the season. The Czech goaltender stayed in the AHL until Winnipeg finally called him back up on January 16th. He’s been the team’s starter ever since, but his numbers leave Winnipeg wanting more. Through his eight starts this season Pavelec has an .888 SV% and a 3.55 GAA. Unfortunately for Winnipeg, however, its other two goaltenders—Connor Hellebuyck and Michael Hutchinson—aren’t faring much better.
Season Stats
NHL: 8 GP, 4-4-0, .888 SV%, 3.55 GAA, 0 SO
AHL: 18 GP, 8-7-2, .917 SV%, 2.78 GAA, 0 SO
Suitors
Any potential suitors for Pavelec are ones in the market for cheap goaltending insurance. Whatever potential Pavelec may have harbored over the past two years is almost surely gone, and GMs see Pavelec’s current stats as indicative of his future performance. Nonetheless, one only has to look at Devan Dubnyk‘s resurgence for hope that Pavelec turns it around elsewhere. Written off after underperforming in Edmonton and Arizona, Dubnyk joined the Minnesota Wild and immediately became one of the league’s best goaltenders.
Pavelec is a pending UFA which should ease the risk for teams looking for goaltending services. Teams will not be on the hook for Pavelec after this year, and the allure of goaltender insurance is strong. GMs know that losing your starting goaltender spells disaster for a team’s chances at a deep playoff run, so a cheap insurance option may appeal to some.
Likelihood Of A Trade
The goalie market is stagnant. Ben Bishop, Marc-Andre Fleury, and Jimmy Howard all remain with their teams, and those dominos have to fall one way or another before teams take a flyer on Pavelec. Pavelec could be the cheaper option for most teams, but it’s unclear whether his play will improve this season. The Jets may have to bite the bullet and accept anything they can get for Pavelec before they lose him to free agency.
Trade Candidates: Mathieu Perreault
With the trade deadline quickly approaching, we will be profiling several players in the weeks ahead that are likely to be dealt by March 1st.
Rarely do you see a player who just signed a long-term extension get traded before that extension even kicks in, but that very well could be the case with Mathieu Perreault and the Winnipeg Jets. Entering the final season of his three-year, $9MM deal, Perreault inked a big four-year extension this summer. However, the team may have erred in not first considering the possibility of an Expansion Draft this off-season, and is facing a very real possibility that if they don’t move the veteran center, they could lose him for nothing. The Jets appear poised to protect four defenseman – Dustin Byfuglien, Toby Enstrom, Jacob Trouba, and Tyler Myers – leaving just four forward spots available, which will almost definitely go to Blake Wheeler, Mark Scheifele, Bryan Little, and Adam Lowry. TSN was the first to report the high likelihood of a Perrault trade, and he remains on their “Trade Bait List“. But is there a market for his services in-season?
Contract
Perreault will enter the first year of a four-year, $16.5MM extension in 2017-18. Currently, he is in the final year of his previous three-year, $9MM deal. That annual $3MM cap hit will be pro-rated to under $900K at the Trade Deadline, but will then jump back up to $4.125MM for the next four seasons.
2016-17
Hurting Perreault’s “tradability” in 2016-17 is a noticeable drop-off in production. If the Jets had chosen to trade the play-making pivot last spring, they would have brought in quite the haul in draft capital. Perreault had back-to-back 41-point seasons to begin his tenure in Winnipeg and was in the midst of potentially the best season of his career with career highs in assists, power play points, and ice time. He also had a year remaining on his deal at an affordable cap hit. This season? Not so much. Perreault now carries a four years at $4.25MM and does not have the stats to back up the cost. In between missing time with injuries this season, Perreault has registered just 17 points in 40 games, which may as well be canceled out by his career-worst -17 rating. However, Perreault is still considered a high-end play-maker and a power play specialist, and his cap hit at his previous numbers is more than tolerable. If Perreault can pick up his play down the stretch and improve on a dismal performance so far, interest will heat up in no time.
Season Stats
40 GP, 4 goal, 13 assists, 17 points, -17 rating, 83 shots, 15:31 ATOI
Potential Suitors
Adding players with term on their contract is easier said than done this season. With the Expansion Draft weighing on everyone’s decisions this deadline season, no one is going to pay a lot for a player they then stand to lose for nothing if he doesn’t fit into their protection scheme. Perreault could prove to be a difficult addition for many teams.
The New York Islanders have really felt the loss of center Frans Nielsen this season and desperately need some depth at center. They also have some flexibility in the expansion process and have the salary cap space to accommodate his cap hit. Perrault down the middle behind John Tavares would be quite an upgrade over Casey Cizikas and Alan Quine this year and in the future.
If the Montreal Canadiens miss out on their rumored top target of Martin Hanzal and don’t want to pony up for Matt Duchene, they could come calling for Perreault. With Tomas Plekanec and David Desharnais showing clear signs of decline, the Habs are desperate for depth down the middle going forward. Montreal is reportedly “all in” at the Trade Deadline, so a move to bring in a big-time center would come with no surprise, though the salary cap implications would need to be closely monitored.
Another strong candidate, though a Western Conference foe, is the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings are perusing the center market as well, and could use depth behind Anze Kopitar and Jeff Carter. Cap space is not as big an issue for L.A. who could really solidify their top nine by adding Perreault to the mix.
Likelihood Of A Trade
Winnipeg GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has shown a willingness to make big moves, especially when the pressure is on, and there is no greater pressure than potentially losing a key player for nothing in the Expansion Draft. However, that same draft makes moving a long-term player like Perreault much more difficult than moving an impending free agent. As the Jets sink further and further into the basement of the Western Conference, the more likely it will become that Cheveldayoff stops working on ways to keep Perreault and starts looking for ways to trade him. The difficulty in doing so makes this move far from a sure thing though.
Minor Transactions: 2/11/17
It appears that the Ottawa Senators have given Andrew Hammond a stinker of a birthday gift as they’ve placed him on waivers per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link).
Hammond, affectionately known as the Hamburglar, has struggled to find consistency since his dominating performance during the 2014-15 season. In just 24 games that season, Hammond went 20-1-2 and posted a .941 save percentage. Since then, Hammond appeared in 30 games, going 7-13-4 and this season alone, having a goals against average north of four. His save percentage is a paltry .837. This was predictable as Craig Anderson is slated to start tonight for the Senators according to the Ottawa Citizen’s Ken Warren. Additionally, the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch tweets that extension talks with Mike Condon signalled the end of Hammond’s time in Ottawa. Should he clear waivers, he will report to Binghamton.
Other minor roster moves from around the league:
- The Sabres, announced they have brought Evan Rodrigues back into the fold. He has no points in two games this season, but has registered 27 points in 44 games with the Rochester Americans. According to the press release, this is Rodrigues’ third callup this season with the Sabres.
- The Devils announced via Twitter that they have recalled forward Joseph Blandisi from AHL Albany. The 22 year old has spent the bulk of the season in the minors, picking up 23 points in 28 games. He has also got into three games with New Jersey, being held off the scoresheet.
- After clearing waivers earlier today, the Jets announced that they’ve assigned blueliner Julian Melchiori to their AHL affiliate in Manitoba. Melchiori has played in 31 games with the Moose this year, recording six points. He also saw action in four games with the Jets before hitting the wire.