February NHL News

[cshea]

Montreal traded Rafael Diaz to the Canucks for old friend Dale Weise.

Also, Thomas Vanek reportedly turned down a substantial contract offer from the Isles. He'll be traded by the deadline. In a related story, word trickled out of Buffalo yesterday that the Bruins and Sabres briefly discussed a Vanek-for-Seguin swap at the draft last year.

 

[Spacemans Bong]

I get that the Habs need to get bigger, but Bergevin is an idiot if he thinks he's going to get better by acquiring 4th liners who just happen to be moar big. 

 

[cshea]

There is some twitter chatter going on about a possible Sam Gagner-for-Kyle Clifford trade being in the works today. A little complicated due to LA's cap situation.

Also, the Isles are apparently trying to move Vanek before tomorrow's pre-Olympic deadline. Kind of a tough spot for the Isles and the acquiring team with Vanek going to Sochi. The acquiring team would probably want to make sure Vanek returns from the Olympics healthy before surrendering the assets to acquire him, while the risk of injury means the Isles are more motivated to move him before the Olympics. It will be interesting to see if the Isles pull it off, and what they end up getting.

 

[MoGator71]

Sam Gagner does nothing for me. Part of it is that I barely see Edmonton, but when I do I never even notice Gagner. 

 

[cshea]

Well there was that one time Gagner scored 8 points in a game!

He's a good player, but yeah, he seems like an odd fit for a Kings team that has Kopitar, Richards and Stoll down the middle already.

 

[Greg29fan]

Well there was that one time Gagner scored 8 points in a game!

He's a good player, but yeah, he seems like an odd fit for a Kings team that has Kopitar, Richards and Stoll down the middle already.

 
The Kings cannot score goals - anybody capable of putting the puck in the net on occasion looks like Marcel Dionne at this point.

 

[Greg29fan]

Arthur Staple ‏@StapeNewsday  3m
#Isles have traded Peter Regin and Pierre-Marc Bouchard to Chicago for a 2014 4th-round pick.

 

[cshea]

Isles getting an early jump on the deadline salary dump. Saves Wang 2 paychecks during the Olympics. 

 

[Greg29fan]

Pierre LeBrun ‏@Real_ESPNLeBrun  1m
Isles retained 50 percent of salary/cap hit for both Bouchard and Regin in trade with Hawks

 

[MoGator71]

Well there was that one time Gagner scored 8 points in a game!

He's a good player, but yeah, he seems like an odd fit for a Kings team that has Kopitar, Richards and Stoll down the middle already.

 
And they've already got Carter playing the wing, that's another center on the roster.
 
Greg's right though, that offense has been anemic for awhile. Not sure why, the talent is there.

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

Can teams send young players to the AHL during the break for seasoning?

 

[cshea]

Can teams send young players to the AHL during the break for seasoning?

Yes, but the normal waivers rules apply.

 

[TSC]

Rumors are floating around the Kris Letang's season, and possibly career are over due to "mysterious illness."
 

 
 
There were concerns last week that Letang's season — if not his career — could be in jeopardy because of the illness, the sources said.

Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/...#ixzz2sbrpJXP2
Follow us: @triblive on Twitter | triblive on Facebook

 
 

 
 

Mark Spector ‏@SportsnetSpec 10m

Kris Letang, mystery illness, season could be done. This, from @RobRossi_Trib http://trib.me/1iw0GpA

 

[Red Right Ankle]

That's terrible.  Good to hear it's not life-threatening though.

 

[cshea]

Yes, but the normal waivers rules apply.

So I was wrong. Turns out you can't assign waiver-exempt players to the AHL during the break if they played 16 of the 20 NHL games leading up to the break, or if they've spent 3/4 of the days from 10/1-1/24 on an NHL roster or IR.

 

[McDrew]

So the B's can't send Miller down, but they can send Warsofski.

 

[Greg29fan]

Apparently Letang had a stroke

 

[Spaulding Smails]

 
Pittsburgh Penguins ‏@penguins  1m
NEWS ALERT: Penguins defenseman Kris Letang will miss at least six weeks after having a stroke last week http://pens.pe/1jkmxmE 

 
Yikes.

 

[TSC]

Apparently Letang had a stroke

 
Jesus. Source on that?
 
Terrible if true, even if he does play for the Pens.

 

[RedOctober3829]

Pittsburgh Penguins ‏@penguins 5m
Kris Letang's condition is treatable with blood thinners and at this point is not believed to be career threatening
 

 

[ForceAtHome]

Awful news. Is there really any remotely possible chance he returns in 6 weeks? That seems ridiculously quick, but I am uninformed in these types of things.

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

So the B's can't send Miller down, but they can send Warsofski.

 
That's who I was thinking about.
 
And was hoping Caron, but didn't expect it.

 

[SpacemanzGerbil]

In what world is having a stroke not life or career threatening?
 
Maybe it was just a TIA?

 

[Greg29fan]

In what world is having a stroke not life or career threatening?
 
Maybe it was just a TIA?

 
It sounds like it was the same thing that Tedy Bruschi had, including a small hole in the heart.  Bruschi was able to resume his playing career.

 

[cshea]

FWIW, Tedy Bruschi wasn't cleared to resume his career for 8 months. He suffered the stroke on February 16, 2005 and he wasn't medically cleared to resume practicing until October 16, 2005.

 

[SpacemanzGerbil]

 
It sounds like it was the same thing that Tedy Bruschi had, including a small hole in the heart.  Bruschi was able to resume his playing career.

Jesus. Bruschi's wasn't a TIA, that's for sure. Tough road ahead for the guy.

 

[Greg29fan]

FWIW, Tedy Bruschi wasn't cleared to resume his career for 8 months. He suffered the stroke on February 16, 2005 and he wasn't medically cleared to resume practicing until October 16, 2005.

 
Yeah there isn't a snowball's chance in Hell he's going to be back in six weeks (the release said at least six).  For one thing he won't be able to resume anything involving activity til he's off blood thinners (same as Tomas Vokoun).  

 

[inJacobyWeTrust]

http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/10418827/pittsburgh-penguins-reveal-defenseman-kris-letang-treated-stroke-last-week
 
Relevant snippet:
 
""Kris had one brief episode of dizziness and nausea last week," Shero said. "We held him out of the Los Angeles game Thursday night, and when he continued to feel ill, tests conducted in Phoenix on Saturday gave us the first indication of his condition. Further testing then was conducted when he returned to Pittsburgh, and he continued to undergo a battery of tests here this week."
Shero said doctors found a small hole in the wall of Letang's heart during further medical examinations, and that they are seeking to assess if it led to the stroke."
 
As others have mentioned, sounds similar to Bruschi. Scary since Letang is only 26.

 

[FL4WL3SS]

This really hit home with me with all that I've been going through the past 3 months.
 
I hope he has a full recovery.

 

[Greg29fan]

This was apparently the lone trade before the roster freeze today -
 
Bob McKenzie ‏@TSNBobMcKenzie  11m
BOS trades Carter Camper to CBJ for Blake Parlett.

 

[The Napkin]

Parlett was part of the Gaborik trade. Other than that I got nothing.

 

[cshea]

The Providence Bruins needed a body on defense. Kevan Miller appears to be up in Boston for good, and unfortunately Joe Morrow suffered an injury last weekend. They're thin on D even with Warsofsky coming back soon. Camper was a good player for them, but he didn't appear to be in the organizations plans for the future. Moving him A) gets them Parlett for the D and B) frees up some ice time and a top 6 role for players like Matt Lindblad, Khokhlachev, Knight, Griffith who may have some more upside.

 

[ForceAtHome]

It's looking more and more like Evgeny Kuznetsov is finally coming to the NHL later this spring. He may be the best player in the world not in the NHL who isn't named Radulov.
 

 
Edit: Wrong thread. Can a mod move this to February NHL news?

 

[kenneycb]

How quickly we forget ye, Ilya.

 

[ForceAtHome]

How quickly we forget ye, Ilya.

 
Yeesh. Pretty huge oversight on my part, huh?

 

[Greg29fan]

Tomas Vokoun has been cleared to resume playing after getting over his most recent blood clot episode.  He needs to improve his physical conditioning since he hasn't been able to do anything while recovering, but returned to practice with the non-Olympian Penguins today.

 

[The Napkin]

I didn't think teams were allowed to practice during the break? Or is it one of those captain's practices things wink wink nudge nudge?

 

[cshea]

Today was the first day teams were allowed to practice.

 

[The Napkin]

Well now I went and learned something.

 

[Greg29fan]

Bob McKenzie ‏@TSNBobMcKenzie  45s
Extent of John Tavares' Olympic-ending knee injury won't be known til MRI/re-evaluation on Thursday but sense out of Sochi is it's not good.

 

[SidelineCameras]

Sucks for Tavares and Islanders, but I hope it doesn't signal the end of the NHL at the Olympics.

 

[ajml]

As shitty as that is at least it happened to the Islanders who weren't going anywhere this year. It may force their hand into moving Vanek.

 

[cshea]

Tavares has a torn MCL and meniscus, per Staple and McKenzie. Done for the year.

T&P, brienc.

 

[TheRealness]

Tavares has a torn MCL and meniscus, per Staple and McKenzie. Done for the year.

T&P, brienc.

 
That sucks for the Isles. He's led a resurgence on that team. Hopefully he returns healthy at the beginning of next year. Tough loss. 

 

[Dim13]

Zetterberg likely done for the season. Just great.
 
https://twitter.com/AnsarKhanMLive/statuses/436900554602586113

 

[ForceAtHome]

Zetterberg likely done for the season. Just great.
 
https://twitter.com/AnsarKhanMLive/statuses/436900554602586113

 
Sounds like a discectomy. Still, I'd say there's a chance he's back for playoffs if the Wings can make it without him and depending on how far they go.
 
Edit: Just googled and found that the doctor who performed Zetterberg's surgery was the second opinion on my back surgery.

 

[Zososoxfan]

 
Sounds like a discectomy backiatomy. Still, I'd say there's a chance he's back for playoffs if the Wings can make it without him and depending on how far they go.
 
Edit: Just googled and found that the doctor who performed Zetterberg's surgery was the second opinion on my back surgery.

 
Fixed. That'll be $10.

 

[LeftyTG]

It's looking more and more like Evgeny Kuznetsov is finally coming to the NHL later this spring. He may be the best player in the world not in the NHL who isn't named Radulov.
 

 
Edit: Wrong thread. Can a mod move this to February NHL news?

wow, seeing that name was a blast from the past.  Evgeny spent large chunks of time (summers mostly) living with good friends of mine back when I was in Brooklyn.  My friend and Evgeny's dad were friends back in Russia.  I hung out with him a couple of times when I was at the house.  He was a really nice kid, quiet, a little goofy.  I didn't know he was some elite hockey prospect.  He certainly didn't look like it physically at the time.  When I learned he was a hockey player I asked him about it.  He got up and left the room, returning a few minutes later with the silver medal he won a few days earlier at the U18 tournament (this was probably 2009 or so).  I followed him in the draft and knew he was drafted by Washington, but hadn't really kept up once he stayed in Russian leagues.  I'm happy to see he is considered one of the best non NHL players in the world.  

 

[FL4WL3SS]

 

[RedOctober3829]

Mike Johnson ‏@mike_p_johnson 39m
Uh oh, Carey Price takes one shot on a 5 on 0 pp warmup and gets up favouring his leg. He left the ice and has not returned for practice.