Down the Frozen River

Tag: American Hockey League

  • 2018 Offseason Preview: San Jose Sharks

    Our offseason previews for all 31 National Hockey League teams continues with the San Jose Sharks and their outlook for the summer.

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    The San Jose Sharks quietly strolled along in the Pacific Division for much of the season, spending time in 2nd place behind the Vegas Golden Knights. If it wasn’t for slipping considerably down the stretch in a critical time where every point matters, the Sharks would’ve had home ice for their First Round matchup against the Anaheim Ducks.

    Instead, head coach Peter DeBoer and his players finished the season 3rd in the Pacific, with 100 points on the season– one point behind Anaheim– and a 45-27-10 record.

    For not having the spotlight on the team most of the year and the pressure that had built up in 2016 and 2017 thanks to the club’s Stanley Cup Final run in 2016, General Manager Doug Wilson made a splash acquiring Evander Kane from the Buffalo Sabres at the trade deadline.

    The Sharks were all in.

    They swept the Ducks in the First Round, proving home ice advantage didn’t matter to them and even beat the Golden Knights on the road in the Second Round in double-overtime.

    But San Jose fell to the Vegas offense and stellar goaltending from Marc-Andre Fleury and the 2018 postseason run was cut short in six games without an appearance by Joe Thornton— in the literal sense, because he was oft-injured this season.

    2018 NHL Entry Draft

    Wilson and the Sharks have the 21st overall pick in the 2018 Draft and could target a defender or fall in line with the “pick the best available” mantra of the first round past the top-10 picks in the draft.

    In any case, San Jose realistically has a chance of landing either Jack McBain, Serron Noel, Jared McIsaac, Ryan Merkley, Olivier-Benoit Groulx, Rasmus Sandin, Albin Eriksson, Adam Ginning, Fillip Hallander or Ryan McLeod.

    The club does not have any picks in the second or third round as things currently stand at the time of this writing.

    Pending free agents

    The Sharks have a little more than $7.500 million to work with this summer after delivering a significant pay raise to Evander Kane, keeping him around for the long-term in Northern California, alongside Joe Pavelski.

    Speaking of Pavelski, he’ll need a new contract next summer.

    Back to the present, for now, though.

    Jannik Hansen, Thornton, Eric Fehr and Joel Ward are all pending-unrestricted free agents.

    Hansen, 32, might have some staying power in that he’s one of the younger pending-UFAs currently on the NHL roster in San Jose, however, he only amassed 2-12–14 totals in 46 games this season. That’s not good and the Sharks can move on, given the emergence of Marcus Sorensen and, well, the overall outlook of the organization.

    It could come down to re-signing one or two of these pending-UFAs if they’re willing to take a tremendous discount and limited role.

    While a guy like Thornton wouldn’t have as limited of a role as Hansen, Fehr or Ward, he is coming off of a season plagued by injuries.

    If he has anything left in the tank, he’ll be back, but at a discount for sure. Not an $8.000 million, one-year deal, but something like a $1.000 million one-year deal with performance bonuses and the like.

    Despite being limited to 47 games this season, the Boston Bruins 1st overall pick in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft still had 13 goals and 23 assists (36 points).

    At 38, Thornton could be the next ageless wonder, a la Jaromir Jagr— minus all the traveling around the league, because Thornton is that dedicated to the organization he’s been with since the 2005-06 season.

    Without a doubt the plan in Silicon Valley is Cup or bust in 2019 and Joe Thornton still haven’t won his Cup.

    But he’ll surely take his time to mull over a decision on whether to return or not, let alone return to the game.

    Fehr, 32, was a low-cost, potentially high-reward on the fourth line acquisition the Sharks made in a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but Fehr didn’t have all that far to go to meet up with his new team. He was already on loan to the San Jose Barracuda (AHL).

    Unless he can rebound, he might be getting an AHL deal this summer.

    Drafted by the Washington Capitals 18th overall in the deep 2003 NHL Entry Draft, Fehr had three goals and one assist (four points) in 18 games with the Sharks and Maple Leafs this season.

    He won’t be back.

    Like Thornton, Joel Ward is getting up there in age. He’s 37 and really slowing down in offense. Ward had 5-7–12 totals in 52 games this season and did not play in the postseason. He may still find an NHL team or two interested in his services this summer, but it’ll be outside of San Jose.

    Doug Wilson’s biggest priorities this offseason is keeping things intact while envisioning a younger defense somewhere down the not-so-distant line.

    But first, he’ll have to re-sign pending-RFAs Tomas Hertl and Chris Tierney.

    Hertl, 24, had 22 goals and 24 assists (46 points) in 79 games this season. He’ll be looking for dollars or term and the Sharks will have to work around some things to give it to him, but they absolutely should.

    Tierney, 23, has proven to be an effective second or third line center with 17-23–40 totals in 82 games this season. It’s the first time in his young NHL career (4th season) that he’s played in all 82 games in the regular season and he’ll continue to play in many more as long as he’s got a spot on San Jose’s special teams– most notably, at times, killing penalties.

    Then there’s pending-RFA blueliner Dylan DeMelo.

    The 25-year-old’s role on the Sharks defense increased this season as Brent Burns, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Paul Martin— though better than average combined– continued to age.

    DeMelo had 20 assists in 63 games played this season. He can move the puck and shutdown the opponent on any given night. He’s also in the sweet-spot for a defenseman in their prime.

    Finally, the Sharks are set in net with Martin Jones, 28, under contract through the 2023-24 season at a $5.750 million cap hit as their starter and Aaron Dell, 29, on a fresh two-year extension at $1.900 million per year as the backup.

    Seriously though, Jones is perhaps the best goaltender– if not one of the best– in franchise history and he’s signed at an affordable cap hit for a starting goaltender of his caliber.

    Look, we love Evgeni Nabokov as much as the next guy, but Jones carries the promise of potentially bringing the franchise its first Cup on his current contract and he’s not even being paid $6.000 million or more like other elite goaltenders in this league.

    Other pending free agents throughout the organization include:

    Brandon Mashinter (UFA)

  • 2018 Offseason Preview: Los Angeles Kings

    Our offseason previews for all 31 National Hockey League teams continues with the Los Angeles Kings and their outlook for the summer.

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    The Los Angeles Kings got off to a bit of a hot start battling for 1st place in the Pacific Division with the Vegas Golden Knights in the first month or two of the 2017-18 season before cooling off a bit.

    Still, first year head coach John Stevens commanded his team back to the playoffs for the first time since 2016, with a 45-29-8 record and 98 points on the season– good enough for 4th in the Pacific and the first wild card spot in the Western Conference.

    Despite reaching the postseason, the Kings faced the Golden Knights in the First Round and were swept in a low scoring series.

    2018 NHL Entry Draft

    General Manager Rob Blake embarks upon his second entry draft with Los Angeles and the 20th overall pick in the first round of the 2018 Draft Friday night in Dallas.

    Blake will likely yield one of the following players in Jack McBain, Grigori Denisenko, Serron Noel, Jared McIsaac, Ryan Merkley, Benoit-Olivier Groulx, Rasmus Sandin, Akil Thomas or Albin Eriksson.

    Pending free agents

    This offseason is a big deal for Los Angeles. The Kings have about $3.900 million in cap space currently and a headache looming on the horizon next summer, but we’ll get into that in a minute or two.

    Pending unrestricted free agent forward, Torrey Mitchell, 33, was acquired by the Kings in a trade early in the season with the Montreal Canadiens, whereby Mitchell went on to produce 6-5–11 totals in 60 games with Los Angeles and Montreal.

    A durable bottom-six forward, the Kings are cash-strapped and probably cannot re-sign him in their current state.

    More importantly, Los Angeles is tied to discussions with Ilya Kovalchuk, meaning someone on the roster currently would have to be moved to free up enough cap space to sign the 35-year-old prolific scorer looking to return to NHL action.

    Blake has two options for the Kings heading into 2018-19.

    Stay the course and grow as a team that’s been implementing a younger, faster game to stay competitive while hitting everything in sight (as has always been the Kings way) or move too quickly to attract too much talent in the short term without planning for a future like how Los Angeles got into their rash of inconsistent postseason appearances– whereby the team is up against the ceiling as the cap stands, regardless of its projected increase.

    Tobias Rieder, 25, was traded by the Arizona Coyotes to the Kings along with Scott Wedgewood in exchange for Darcy Kuemper in February and went on to produce 12-13–25 totals in 78 games with Los Angeles and Arizona this season.

    Whether he was a rental or not, we’ll find out if he gets re-signed.

    Los Angeles only has two pending free agent defenders in 26-year-old Kevin Gravel and 27-year-old Chrisitan Folin.

    Gravel appeared in 16 games for the Kings this season and had three assists. He played in 49 games with Los Angeles in 2016-17, recorded his first career NHL goal and likely won’t be back with the Kings on their NHL roster next season.

    Folin, on the other hand, participated in 65 games this season with the Kings, which was the most he’s ever played since joining Los Angeles after spending 2013-17 with the Minnesota Wild. Folin recorded 3-10–13 totals with the Kings and was a plus-1.

    Between Alec Martinez and Jake Muzzin, both top-4 defenders have a $4.000 million cap hit. One of them could be traded this offseason to give Folin an increased role and/or sign Kovalchuk.

    Of course, the real wild card here for Los Angeles is the status of their anchor on the blueline– Drew Doughty.

    Doughty’s current contract expires at the end of the 2018-19 season and has a $7.000 million cap hit. That’s about to go way up.

    Again, thankfully, Blake and his front office have a season to try to figure out where the money is going to come from. Nevertheless, it makes longterm planning difficult. Especially given how Doughty has indicated he will want to get paid. Big time.

    One more thing of note, Oscar Fantenberg is currently in the minors and could play a role in either a trade package or a top-6 spot on the blueline next season.

    In goal, 32-year-old, Jonathan Quick is under contract through the 2022-23 season with a $5.800 million cap hit. The elite goaltender still has a few more good years left in him and could backstop the franchise to its third Cup with him at the reins in net.

    Peter Budaj, 35, was acquired last week in a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for forward Andy Andreoff. Budaj rejoins the Kings organization for his second stint and could end up being Quick’s backup or back in the American Hockey League with the Ontario Reign next season. He has one-year remaining on his current deal and a $1.025 million cap hit.

    In the pipeline between the pipes, 26-year-old Jack Campbell resurrected his professional career with Los Angeles, finishing the 2018 postseason as Quick’s backup and is under contract through the 2019-20 season at $675,000 per. Meanwhile, 23-year-old, Cal Petersen has one-year remaining on his entry-level contract and is looking to break through the ice at the NHL level.

    Competition for the backup job in Los Angeles isn’t a bad thing.

    It’s how Jonathan Bernier and Martin Jones came out of the system and landed full-time roles with the Toronto Maple Leafs and San Jose Sharks, respectively (though Bernier’s bounced around from being a starter in Toronto, back to a backup role with the Leafs, Anaheim Ducks and most recently, Colorado Avalanche).

    Other pending free agents throughout the organization include:

    Justin Auger (RFA), Andrew Crescenzi (UFA), Michael Mersch (UFA), Jordan Subban (RFA), Paul LaDue (RFA), Scott Wedgewood (UFA), Alex Lintuniemi (RFA), Kurtis MacDermid (RFA)

  • DTFR Overtime: Just Killing Prime

    On the most recent episode of the Down the Frozen River Podcast, @connorzkeith expressed the sentiment that the Boston Bruins have been wasting the prime of their core group of players– not including David Pastrnak, or really anyone since the 2014 NHL Entry Draft currently on the roster.

    Rather, Connor suggested that the Bruins were once a dominant team of the early 2010s with a core group of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Krejci, Zdeno Chara and Tuukka Rask that’s still very much left intact from their 2011 Stanley Cup championship, but that they’ve been wasting the arc of the aforementioned players’s prime.

    Luckily, Down the Frozen River has an in-house Boston historian and I am here to set the record straight. This is DTFR Overtime and what I’ve thought about after recording the last podcast.

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    Hockey is a game of inches and odd puck bounces. It’s a collective game of skill with an over-reliance on luck. Whatever you believe, you better believe in the Hockey Gods. It’s only fate, destiny and just a game at the end of the day, right?

    Wrong.

    The business of hockey has played a huge part in impacting the game of hockey as we know it– impacting teams and how rosters are constructed, directly through the introduction of a salary cap as of the last full-season lockout in 2004-2005 and indirectly, through many other external factors (family, injuries, et cetera).

    It was because of league expansion in the 1970s and because of the rival World Hockey Association (WHA) that Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito, Derek Sanderson and the Bruins didn’t nail down a dynasty. Of course, the Montreal Canadiens also played a part in it in 1971, 1977 and 1978, but the B’s lost star goaltender, Gerry Cheevers, to the Cleveland Crusaders of WHA from 1972 through 1976– right after winning the Cup in 1972 and during Boston’s appearance and subsequent loss to the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1974 Stanley Cup Final.

    Cheevers alone wasn’t the only difference maker in a Bruins uniform that left the black and gold for the higher paying WHA.

    Sanderson jettisoned Boston for the Philadelphia Blazers in the summer of ’72 for a $2.600 million contract that made him the highest paid athlete in the world at the time, though he went on to only play in eight games with the Blazers due to injury and returned to Boston after the WHA’s 1972-1973 season on a $1 million deal. From 1972 through 1974 with the Bruins, Sanderson only played 54 out of 156 games and was sent down to the Boston Braves of the American Hockey League before being traded to the New York Rangers in June 1974.

    John “Pie” McKenzie, a gifted point scorer known by his unconventional nickname left the Bruins for the WHA’s Blazers as a player-coach after the 1972 Stanley Cup Final and never returned to the NHL. McKenzie finished his playing days with the New England Whalers in 1979.

    In the 1980s and early 90s, injuries and the emergence of the Edmonton Oilers as a top team in the National Hockey League plagued the primes of Ray Bourque, Brad Park, Cam Neely and the Big Bad Bruins.

    Boston lost the 1988 and 1990 Stanley Cup Finals to the Oilers. Boston lost the 1991 and 1992 Eastern Conference Finals to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Boston Garden itself was closed in 1995– and then Boston missed the playoffs in 1997 for the first time in 30 years.

    Good teams aren’t meant to remain on top forever.

    There’s a reason why the Stanley Cup is the hardest trophy to win in all professional sports.

    Claude Julien, the winningest coach (419 wins) in Bruins franchise history– having surpassed Art Ross‘s 387 wins mark with the team during his tenure in Boston– led the black and gold to two appearances in the Stanley Cup Final and one President’s Trophy (just the second in franchise history during the 2013-2014 campaign).

    In 2011, the Bruins rode the backs of Nathan Horton, Marchand and Tim Thomas‘s insanity in goal. In 2013, a more experienced Boston team rallied from a 4-1 deficit in a Game 7 against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round and charged all the way to a six game series battle with the Chicago Blackhawks that ultimately ended in defeat.

    Thomas was no longer part of the story after 2012. Rask took over the reigns and never looked back. Jaromir Jagr came and went in a largely forgettable time in the spoked-B.

    But the Bruins could skate with the best. Until they missed the playoffs in 2015 and 2016.

    In the Salary Cap Era, teams are built up and ripped to shreds by massive longterm contracts and dollars being improperly allocated throughout the roster.

    Peter Chiarelli got the Bruins in a salary cap hell, what with their fourth line center, Chris Kelly, making $3.000 million in his final years as a Bruin. In the broad scope of things, that was the least of Chiarelli’s mismanagement that ultimately ended his time in Boston. Neither the Tyler Seguin trade nor the Johnny Boychuk trade alone could be what led to the Bruins going from a top team deep in every roster spot to a team outside the playoff picture looking in with some mediocre placeholders.

    Brett Connolly and Max Talbot didn’t yield the same results in Chiarelli’s last season with the Bruins– tangible or intangible– than any of the bottom-six forwards (Gregory Campbell, Shawn Thornton, Daniel Paille, Rich Peverley, Kelly and Michael Ryder) provided for the 2011.

    Just one year removed from a President’s Trophy season that ended with an early First Round exit to Montreal, the Bruins found themselves on the verge of an uncomfortable position that they hadn’t been in since missing the playoffs in 2006 and 2007. They went on to miss the playoffs in 2015 and 2016.

    So the Bruins did the only thing they’ve ever known. They reset themselves while still carrying a core group of players.

    In the 70s, Boston rebuilt themselves around Orr, Esposito and friends when Sanderson left (then returned and left again via trade), Cheevers departed and McKenzie stormed off to the WHA. They drafted Terry O’Reilly in 1971, Stan Johnathan in 1975 and acquired Peter McNab from the Buffalo Sabres after the 1975 Stanley Cup Final.

    The new identity Bruins flipped Esposito along with Carol Vadnais during the 1975-76 season to the New York Rangers for Brad Park, Jean Ratelle and Joe Zanussi and still had Orr until his departure via free agency in 1976.

    Boston still had Johnny Bucyk, Wayne Cashman, Ken Hodge and Don Marcotte as key aspects of their 70s rosters.

    They could have dismantled a team that won two Stanley Cups (and should have won more, if it weren’t for the WHA) after the franchise’s slow start in 1975. They didn’t.

    Hockey has never been kind to good teams with the right players at what seems like it’s the right time (just ask last year’s Washington Capitals). But that’s the nature of the sport. No matter how much of a powerhouse you build– with or without a salary cap, with or without expansion or injuries– you can’t control the way the puck bounces.

    Some players stick around in the league for long enough to become seasoned veterans of the NHL and never sniff a Stanley Cup Final appearance, let alone the postseason. It took Ron Hainsey until just last year with the Penguins to make his Stanley Cup Playoff debut and it took Bourque and Dave Andreychuk at least a couple of decades each to win it all.

    Just because Bergeron, Marchand, Krejci, Chara and Rask only have a 2011 Stanley Cup championship together doesn’t mean they’ve been wasting their time, killing the prime of their careers.

    For Boston, they ended a 39-year Stanley Cup-less drought.

    They’ve already won once more than thousands of others who were lucky enough to make it to the NHL.

    And they’ve forever cemented themselves in the history of the franchise, as well as the City of Boston as adopted sons and representatives of the Hub everywhere they go and in everything they do related to the sport or not.

    Fans want rings and that’s one thing, but to say they’ve wasted their primes is another. They’ve contributed so much on and off the ice for the youth movement once again creeping up on the Bruins. Pastrnak is destined for stardom. Charlie McAvoy is an apprentice to Chara as Bourque was to Park in 1979.

    Even Kevan Miller‘s found a bit of a resurgence in his offensive game, going end-to-end to throw the puck in front of the net to find Danton Heinen like Orr did with anyone.

    The torch gets passed on. We’re all in for the ride.

    And you pray to the Hockey Gods that they’ll let you win at least once.

  • Zaar and Lake Erie Come From Behind and Easily Defeat Hershey to Take Game 1 of the Calder Cup Finals.

     

    cc16_primaryDown the Frozen River is now covering the AHL! If you don’t know what the AHL is I will let you know! The AHL (American Hockey League) is called the minor league. The reason why it is called this is because it is a level below the NHL (National Hockey League). Each team in the NHL and the AHL are affiliated with each other. This means that every single NHL team signs a contract with an AHL team. A player can either be called up by the NHL team or sent down to the AHL team during the season as well.

    Both the Hershey Bears and the Lake Erie Monsters will begin their quest for the 2016 AHL Calder Cup. It features the Bears (who’s NHL affiliate is the Washington Capitals) out of the East Coast and the Monsters (who are affiliated with the Columbus Blue Jackets) out of the West Coast. This is the Bears first appearance in the finals since the 2009-2010 season when they won it all beating the Texas Stars 4 games to 2. While this is Lake Erie’s first Calder Cup Final appearance in franchise history.

    The game started out with both teams gaining equal chances but no one could get the momentum they needed to score. This would change with just 4:28 into the opening frame. Lake Erie would gain the puck at their own blue line, center T.J. Tynan would receive a beautiful stretch pass. Tynan would go in all alone on a breakaway from the attacking blue line in. Tynan would skate right into the slot fake a slap shot and opened up to his forehand trying to go upstairs for the goal. Well, Bears goalie Justin Peters was having none of this and stretched out with his left pad to rob Tynan with the tip of his pad. This save kept the game scoreless.

    Lake Erie was all over Hershey front to back controlling most of the first period. This relentless pressure resulted in the Monsters second prime scoring chance of the first period.

    with 7:28 into the period Monsters winger Sonny Milano would make a great defensive play Bears defender Ryan Stanton at the right dot just outside Hershey’s zone. Milano picked pocketed the puck right off Stanton’s stick and went in all alone for their second breakaway of the period. Milano would fancy his luck opting to go to his right just like Tynan did before. The result was the same for Milano and Peters stood tall and stopped his shot with his left pad/blocker to keep the game scoreless.

    This provided a HUGE boost for the Bears as 3:10 later Hershey would grab the game’s first goal.

    Bears winger Chris Bourque would burst into the offensive zone on the right side, stop on a T at the tops of the circle, and skate back up to the tops of the blue line. Bourque would find a cutting Jakub Vrana with a rifle of a pass while Vrana was barreling into the zone. Vrana would receive the pass at the top of the high slot and roof a laser of a wrist shot beating Monsters goalie Anton Forsberg high over his blocker for the 1-0 lead. This was Vrana’s 8th goal of the playoffs tying him for the league lead.

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    Lake Erie would end the period down a goal which they were not happy about. The Monsters were controlling a majority of the first with a lot of pressure in the o-zone. They also did a solid job limiting the Bears shots to the outside despite giving up the opening goal.

    The start of the second period was no different than the start of the first. What I mean by this was that both teams, again, had a couple chances but none of them were big. Both goalies came up big, especially Anton Forsberg of the Monsters.

    Finally, after all, the pressure to start the period Lake Erie was able to get past Hershey’s defenders and tie this game up. With just about eight minutes gone in the middle frame, Monsters’ Daniel Zaar would get a pass from fellow linemate Alex Broadhurst in the neutral zone. Zaar would take the tape to tape pass at center ice and speed past Bears defender Tyler Lewington and in on another breakaway. Zaar would speed into the slot and rip a wrister under the glove hand of Justin Peters and just inside the right post for his 4th goal of the playoffs and leveling the score at one goal apiece.

    Surprisingly, after Zaar’s goal to tie the game, neither Hershey or Lake Erie were able to gain any momentum back to their side. Both goalies again acted like brick walls and did not let another goal get by them and the middle period ended 1-1.

    The start of the third period was much different. The Bears were in on the attack looking for the goal to break the tie. Their pressure paid off as we would get the first penalty of the game just 58 seconds into the third. Monsters center Alex Broadhurst would get called for two minutes after he hooked a Bears player. This sent Hershey to their first PP of the game but was unable to break the deadlock after some solid saves from Forsberg.

    Then just about four minutes and change later Lake Erie would grab the go-ahead and eventual game-winning goal thanks to winger Trent Vogelhuber. Captain Ryan Craig would feed Vogelhuber behind Hershey’s net. Vogelhuber would corral the pass, skate behind the net, and come out from behind the right side of the net. He would skate right to the right dot, turn around, and whip (what looked like to be a harmless shot) on net. The puck took a deflection off Bears defender Aaron Ness’ stick and through the 5 hole of Justin Peters for the 2-1 lead.

    lake-erie-monsters-logo-13bd4f971e24a58c

    The play would then settle down for the next five minutes of play as both teams settle down into their roles. Lake Erie defending and Hershey pressing for that tying goal.

    Hershey would go back to their second and last man advantage of the game as winger Josh Anderson got the gate for roughing. Hershey would once again, gain a little momentum with a flurry of shots but the Monsters were able to kill off the pressure.

    Then with 6:27 remaining in the last period the Monsters were back on the offensive prowl and tallied a very important insurance goal. Bears defender Ryan Stanton looked to keep the puck, step around the forecheck and start a rush from his own zone. This was a bad idea as Lake Erie’s first goal scorer Daniel Zaar would make another beautiful defensive pick and steal the puck right from Stanton’s stick at the left-hand dot. Zaar would then be all alone for a small breakaway where he took full advantage. Bears goalie Justin Peters looked to poke check the puck away but failed. In doing this, he opened up his 5 hole and Zaar finessed the puck right through his legs for the two-goal lead at 3-1. This was Zaar’s second goal of the game.

    Just 1:36 later the Monsters would strike again! Lake Erie’s winger Oliver Bjorkstrand would feed the puck over to D-man Dean Kukan at the right side blue line. Kukan would put a helpless wrister towards the net that was deflected by winger Markus Hannikainen in the slot and sneaked past Justin Peters for the 4-1 lead with just four minutes. The Bears were unable to muster any offensive after this deflecting goal and the score ended with the Monsters’ easily taking the game 4-1.

    Lake Erie’s goalie Anton Forsberg stopped 26 out of 27 shots for a stunning .963 SV% while Hershey’s goalie Justin Peters turned away 22 out of 26 shots for a terrible .846 SV%. The Bears led in shots (27-26). There were only 2 penalties in the game with both of them going to Lake Erie. The Bears were 0/2 on the man advantage while the Monsters did not get a chance.

    Lake Erie now leads the series 1-0. These two teams will suit up again Friday night for Game 2 in Hershey with puck drop at 7 pm.

     

  • TRADE: Capitals send Brooks Laich to Toronto

    By: Nick Lanciani

    Shortly before midnight on Sunday night/ what would have been early Monday morning, the Washington Capitals traded forward Brooks Laich, defenseman Connor Carrick and a second round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for forward Daniel Winnik and Anaheim’s fifth round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft (previously acquired by the Maple Leafs).

    Washington Capitals LogoWinnik is a 30-year-old forward who has 62-136-198 totals in 625 career NHL games with the Arizona Coyotes, Colorado Avalanche, San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks, Pittsburgh Penguins and Toronto Maple Leafs.

    He currently has four goals and 10 assists in 56 games this season. The 6’2″, 207-pound Toronto native scored the game winning goal in his NHL debut on October 4, 2007 vs. St. Louis. Winnik was drafted by the Coyotes in the ninth round (265th overall) of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft and has three assists in 33 career Stanley Cup Playoffs games.

    Unknown-3Laich is a 32-year-old forward who has 133-191-324 totals in 743 career NHL games with the Ottawa Senators and Washington. He ranks eighth all-time in Capitals franchise history for games played (742).

    The 6’2″, 195-pound veteran of the game has seven points (one goal, six assists) in 60 games played with Washington this season. Laich was drafted by the Senators in the sixth round (193rd overall) of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft.

    Carrick is a 5’11”, 194-pound, 21-year-old defenseman who has six points (one goal, five assists) in 37 career NHL games with the Capitals. In 47 games with the Hershey Bears (AHL) this season, Carrick has 10-16-26 totals. He was drafted by Washington in the fifth round (137th overall) in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft and has 72 points (18 goals, 54 assists) in 133 career AHL games with the Bears.

    No salary was retained in the deal.

    The Washington Capitals are set to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins at home from the Verizon Center on Tuesday night, while the Maple Leafs play host to the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Air Canada Centre on Monday.

  • TRADE: Ryan Bourque dealt to Capitals, joins brother in Hershey

    By: Nick Lanciani

    Ray Bourque’s son, Ryan, was traded by the New York Rangers to the Washington Capitals on Sunday night.

    The Capitals sent forward Chris Brown to the Rangers in return.

    Washington Capitals LogoBourque, 25, is the son of legendary Hall-Of-Fame (and Alumni Game scoring machine) Boston Bruins defenseman, Ray Bourque, and is a native of Boxford, Massachusetts.

    He made his NHL debut with the Rangers on April 9, 2015 against the Ottawa Senators and tallied 24 points (10 goals, 14 assists) in 55 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL) this season.

    He established a career high in assists (20) in the 2014-2015 season and a career high in games played (74), goals (21), points (37) and plus/minus (+16) in the 2013-2014 season with the Wolf Pack. The 5’9″, 185-pound forward has 57-65-122 totals in 325 career AHL games with Hartford.

    The gold medal member of Team USA at the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship (and bronze medalist with the United States at the 2011 IIHF WJC) will join his brother, Chris, and the Hershey Bears when they are next in action. Bourque was a third round pick (80th overall) of the New York Rangers in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

    New York Rangers LogoBrown is a 25-year-old forward who has two goals and one assist in 23 career NHL games with the Arizona Coyotes and Washington Capitals.

    He had nine points (three goals, six assists) in 20 games with Hershey (AHL) this season and has 65-59-124 totals in 215 career AHL games with the Bears and the Portland Pirates.

  • TRADE: Hurricanes trade Versteeg to Kings

    By: Nick Lanciani

    The Carolina Hurricanes made their second trade of the day late on Sunday when they dealt forward Kris Versteeg to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for forward Valentin Zykov and a conditional fifth round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

    Unknown-3Versteeg is a 29-year-old native of Lethbridge, Alberta who has played for the Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Florida Panthers, Philadelphia Flyers and Toronto Maple Leafs throughout a nine-year NHL career. He is a winner of two Stanley Cups with Chicago in 2010 and 2015.

    This season, Versteeg has played in 63 games with the Hurricanes, scoring 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists) and notching 36 penalty minutes. In 535 career NHL games he has 308 points (127 goals, 181 assists), a plus-16 rating and 311 penalty minutes.

    He was a fifth round draft pick (134th overall) of the Boston Bruins in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, but never has appeared in a Bruins jersey. Versteeg has played in 84 Stanley Cup Playoffs games in his career and has 16-26-42 totals, as well as 66 penalty minutes during that time.

    Carolina Hurricanes LogoZykov is a 20-year-old right winger who was in his first professional season with the Ontario Reign of the American Hockey League (AHL). He had 7-7-14 totals in 43 games played for the Reign prior to the trade.

    The 6’0″, 209-pound native of St. Petersburg, Russia spent three seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) with Baie-Comeau and Gatineau, amassing 84-100-184 totals in 162 career games. Zykov was a second round pick (37th overall) of the Kings in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft and was the QMJHL’s Rookie of the Year in 2012-2013 after scoring 75 points (40 goals, 35 assists) as a 17-year-old.

    Internationally, Zykov has represented Russia in several tournaments, including the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship. Zykov will likely be assigned to the Charlotte Checkers.

    No salary was retained in the trade.

    The Hurricanes travel to New Jersey to take on the Devils on Tuesday night, while the Los Angeles Kings and their new addition, Kris Versteeg, face the Montreal Canadiens at home on Thursday night from the Staples Center.

     

  • TRADE: Penguins acquire Schultz from Oilers

    By: Nick Lanciani

    On Saturday the Edmonton Oilers sent defenseman Justin Schultz to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a third round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

    Pittsburgh Penguins LogoSchultz is a 25-year-old pending RFA who has 101 points (28 goals, 73 assists) in 248 career NHL games through three-plus years with Edmonton.

    He had his best season in 2013-2014 when he established career highs in goals (11) and points (33) in 74 appearances with the Oilers. The 6’2″, 193-pound blue liner had 3-7-10 totals in 45 games with Edmonton this season.

    A native of Kelowna, British Columbia, Schultz was one of the NHL’s top rookies during the lockout shortened 2012-2013 season, earning a spot on the NHL All-Rookie Team after producing 8-19-27 totals after playing in all 48 games. Prior to January 2013, Schultz began his professional play with the Oiler’s American Hockey League affiliate, Oklahoma City Barons (AHL) where he went on to amass 18-30-48 totals in only 34 games with the Barons.

    He won the Eddie Shore Award as the AHL’s best defenseman that season, despite playing in less than half of the games. Schultz was also a member of the AHL First-Team All-Star and All-Rookie Team at the end of that same season.

    Schultz has represented Canada at the IIHF World Championship, recording four assists in eight games.

    200px-Logo_Edmonton_Oilers.svgThe University of Wisconsin product played all four years of college eligibility (2009-2012) and was a NCAA All-American as well as a Hobey Baker Finalist in each of his last two seasons. Schultz was originally selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the second round (43rd overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, but never signed with Anaheim.

    Instead, the young defenseman joined the Oilers as an unrestricted free agent following his collegiate career.

    Edmonton retained 50 percent of his remaining salary in the deal.

    The Oilers begin their journey without Schultz as a defenseman on Sunday night at home versus the New York Islanders while the Pittsburgh Penguins will likely be joined by Schultz in their lineup on Monday night against the Arizona Coyotes from the CONSOL Energy Center.

     

  • TRADE: San Jose swaps goalies and more with Toronto

    By: Nick Lanciani

    The San Jose Sharks traded backup goaltender Alex Stalock, forward Ben Smith and a conditional fourth round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for goaltender James Reimer and forward Jeremy Morin. The conditional pick involved in the deal can become a third round pick in the 2018 draft if the Sharks reach this year’s Stanley Cup Final as reported by TSN’s Darren Dreger.

    UnknownReimer is a 27-year-old native of Morweena, Manitoba who has played in 207 NHL games, all with the Maple Leafs. He posted a 85-76-23 record with a .914 SV%, 2.83 GAA and 11 shutouts during his time with Toronto.

    He is most notably remembered as the Maple Leafs goalie in their 2013 Eastern Conference Quarterfinal matchup with the Boston Bruins, posting a 3-4 record with a .923 SV% and 2.88 GAA in seven career Stanley Cup Playoffs games.

    He has represented Canada twice at the World Championships (2011 and 2014) and posted a cumulative record of 7-1 with a .915 SV% and 2.13 GAA in eight games. Reiner was originally selected by Toronto in the fourth round (99th overall) in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

    Morin is a 24-year-old forward who is currently playing with the Toronto Marlies in the American Hockey League (AHL). Through 41 games with the Marlies and the Rockford IceHogs, Morin has 11-17-28 totals, 32 penalty minutes and a plus-7 rating. He has played in 82 career NHL games with the Chicago Blackhawks and the Columbus Blue Jackets and has 10-12-22 career totals, as well as 69 penalty minutes and a plus-8 rating.

    He was drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers in the second round (45th overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Morin has previously played for San Jose’s assistant coach, Steve Spott, during his Junior hockey days with the Kitchener Rangers in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).

    Unknown-3Stalock is a 28-year-old goaltender who has split time with the Sharks and their AHL affiliate San Jose Barracuda this season. In 62 career NHL games, spanning five seasons with the Sharks, Stalock posted a 24-19-7 record with a 2.37 GAA and a .911 SV%. This season alone, he was 3-5-2 in 13 games with a 2.94 GAA.

    The St. Paul, Minnesota native is 2-0-0 with the Barracuda this season with a 1.96 GAA. He was originally drafted by the Sharks in the fourth round (112th overall) in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. He was also a pleasure to watch with the Worcester Sharks, as an aside.

    Smith is a 27-year-old native of Winston-Salem, North Carolina who has split the season with the Sharks and the Barracuda. He was previously acquired by San Jose in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks last season and played in 25 games with the Sharks this season, notching two goals and three assists. Smith has 8-2-10 totals in 14 games with the Barracuda this season.

    He has played in 181 career NHL games split between San Jose and Chicago and has 25-19-44 career totals. Smith was a sixth round (169th overall) draft pick of the Blackhawks in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

    As a result of the trade, the Maple Leafs have recalled goaltender, Garret Sparks, from the Marlies to serve as the backup to Jonathan Bernier tonight as Toronto squares off with the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre. Meanwhile, San Jose’s additions may join the team as early as Sunday when the Sharks take on the Vancouver Canucks on the road at Rogers Arena.

     

  • TRADE: Edmonton’s Nilsson dealt to St. Louis

    By: Nick Lanciani

    The St. Louis Blues began their Saturday by acquiring Edmonton Oilers goaltender, Anders Nilsson, in exchange for goaltender Niklas Lundstrom and a fifth round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

    Unknown-1Nilsson is a 25-year-old who has played in 26 games this season for the Oilers. His 10-12-2 record, along with a 3.14 GAA and .901 SV% provide a little depth for the Blues in net given their recent injury prone run in goal. Nilsson will be assigned to St. Louis’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Chicago Wolves.

    The 6’5″, 229-pound goalie is a native of Lulea, Sweden and was drafted by the New York Islanders in the third round (62nd overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He has played in 49 career NHL games for the Islanders and Oilers, amassing a 19-21-4 record and a 3.10 career GAA, as well as a .900 career SV% and one shutout.

    200px-Logo_Edmonton_Oilers.svgLundstrom is a 23-year-old goalie who was drafted by St. Louis in the fifth round (132nd overall) in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. He split this season between the ECHL’s Elmira Jackals and the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. Lundstrom is a native of Varmdo, Sweden and is 6’1″, 194 pounds.

    He has an 8-3-0 record in 13 games with Elmira and a 1-1-0 record in four games with the Wolves this season.

    Late on Friday night/early Saturday morning (if you’re on the East coast), TSN’s Bob McKenzie tweeted that it was believed that the St. Louis Blues had acquired 25-year-old goaltender, Anders Nilsson, from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a mid-round draft pick.

    The Blues, of course, just regained the health of their goalie, Jake Allen, but lost Brian Elliott due to injury in the span of about 24 hours apart from one another. St. Louis was just one of a few teams looking to add a goalie down the stretch (with San Jose having added James Reimer on Saturday and Buffalo in search of another net minder and/or trading partner for Chad Johnson).

    Neither the Edmonton Oilers, nor the Blues, had officially announced a trade involving Nilsson following Friday night’s action.

    Shortly before 3 AM on the East Coast, Anaheim tweeted some sort of cryptic message shown below just to cause anguish for those of us still up at the crazy hour of almost three in the morning (aside from the fact that the Ducks beat the Oilers 2-1 in overtime, of course).

    https://twitter.com/AnaheimDucks/status/703483886488014848

     

    This post has been updated to reflect the official announcement of the trade.