This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
Around the League
Whoa, you didn't see that coming!
Long time rivals Vancouver and Chicago consummated a trade late Thursday evening, with the Canucks acquiring high-scoring AHL defenseman Adam Clendening for 18-year-old Swedish defenseman Gustav Forsling. But, I guess after the departures of Alain Vigneault, Mike Gillis, Roberto Luongo and Ryan Kesler, along with the Blackhawks' continued dominance of the conference, that once-terrific rivalry no longer exists. They slayed the dragon just once, and, in retrospect, that one time seems like all the Canucks were capable of.
Jim Benning has proven to be a more welcoming trade partner than Mike Gillis, it seems, finding decent value for an unhappy Kesler, and now, landing a promising right-shooting defenseman who can quarterback a power play to replace the injured Kevin Bieksa. If there was any trade that the Canucks were going to consummate soon, the bet would've been the oft-rumored swap of Zack Kassian for Boston's Matt Bartkowski, who seemed like the type of depth defensemen the Canucks were going after, though the left-shooting Bartkowski's seemed more like a familiar fit (with Benning, at least) than a perfect fit.
If Clendening never quite figures out how to play solid defense, he's still got the offensive talent to be an effective NHL player. He's inexperienced enough to stay under the Canucks' control for the next few years but experienced enough to be able to play in the NHL now. It's possible Clendening makes his Canucks debut tonight, if not then Sunday against Minnesota. The former 36th overall pick had 105 points in his past 147 AHL games prior to the season, and while his production this year has dropped a little, he's got plenty of chances at 22 years old. The Canucks were looking for defensive help and Clendening should help in the short and long run. They're still in the hunt for a playoff spot and may sneak in as the seventh or eighth seed. Once Bieksa returns, depth will be a strong point on the Canucks defense, especially on the right side.
It's a really smart pickup for Gustav Forsling, a fifth-round pick whose stock rose quickly at the World Juniors, and while he does possess some potential of his own, isn't quite in the same tier as Clendening. It's certainly possible that Forsling makes the NHL, but his upside isn't quite as significant, which should indicate the potential implications of this trade even though it went without much fanfare. Either the Canucks sold high on Forsling or the Blackhawks know something the Canucks don't.
Friday game notes:
- Marc-Andre Fleury hasn't been very good lately but he can turn it around quickly against an easy opponent like New Jersey. The Devils are winners of two straight but the Pens also get Sidney Crosby back in the lineup. The addition of Evgeni Malkin should make this an automatic win. Cory Schneider has allowed 13 goals with a career 1-4-0 record against the Pens.
- Even with Anton Khudobin's strong play (really the guy the Oilers should go after), Jake Allen and the Blues should have no trouble with Carolina. The Hurricanes are winners of three straight and really aren't as bad as their record indicates, but the Blues are a tough matchup. Allen allowed one goal on 20 shots in his previous appearance against Carolina. He's also won two of his past two starts.
- The Avs' defense and Semyon Varlamov don't really stand a chance against Nashville's vaunted offense, especially without Erik Johnson. Varlamov may be able to keep the Avs in the game, and if there's any team that can skate with the Preds it's the Avs with Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon, but the problem in Denver all season has been consistency. Varlamov has six career wins against the Preds in 10 appearances but has also allowed 32 goals against them. Marek Mazanec and Carter Hutton have an equal chance of getting the win and it shouldn't matter who gets the start.
- Jhonas Enroth lost to lowly Edmonton on Thursday, which means Matt Hackett could make his season debut against Vancouver. On the other side, Ryan Miller will face his former team at home. The Canucks are banged up and may feature two new faces in the recently acquired Adam Clendening and recent callup Ronald Kenins, but Hackett is still trying to find his rhythm after coming back from an ACL injury and the Canucks should be motivated to not be the team that snaps Buffalo's losing streak. It'll also be interesting to see if either Zack Kassian or Cody Hodgson respond with a strong game against their former teams. The Canucks can't figure out what to do with Kassian and the Sabres are paying Hodgson $1.5 million for each of the two goals he's scored so far. If Kenins makes his debut, there will be two Latvian Olympians on the same ice since the Olympics, the other Latvian being all-star Zemgus Girgensons. Miller should claim his 24th win rather handily.
- Ilya Bryzgalov better hope Frederik Andersen has a good game, otherwise he'll face Bruce Boudreau's red-faced fury (again) for forcing him to use Andersen on Andersen's night off in a 6-3 drubbing by the Sharks on Thursday. The Blackhawks are a formidable opponent and Andersen is playing the second part of a back-to-back. Fun fact: Andersen has never lost a game in January in his career, but Corey Crawford has traditionally been excellent against the Ducks (8-4-1, 1.95 GAA, .924 Sv%). The Ducks are at home, but Andersen may be tired so Crawford is the better option.
Projected Goalie Starters (all times Eastern)
For updates on the projected goalies later in the day, check our Projected Goalies Grid
Pittsburgh Penguins (Marc-Andre Fleury) at New Jersey Devils (Cory Schneider*), 7:00 PM
St. Louis Blues (Jake Allen*) at Carolina Hurricanes (Anton Khudobin*), 7:00 PM
Nashville Predators (Marek Mazanec) at Colorado Avalanche (Semyon Varlamov*), 9:00 PM
Buffalo Sabres (Matt Hackett) at Vancouver Canucks (Ryan Miller), 10:00 PM
Chicago Blackhawks (Corey Crawford*) at Anaheim Ducks (Frederik Andersen), 10:00 PM
Injury News For Teams Playing Friday
Pittsburgh Penguins
Evgeni Malkin, C (lower body) – no return date set; doubtful.
Blake Comeau, LW (wrist) – no return date set.
Pascal Dupuis, RW (blood clot) – out indefinitely.
Olli Maatta, D (shoulder surgery) – out for the season.
New Jersey Devils
Michael Cammalleri, LW (soreness) – did not practice Thursday; questionable.
Stephen Gionta, C (hand) – out 2-3 weeks.
Damon Severson, D (ankle) – no return date set.
Bryce Salvador, D (back) – no timetable for return.
Ryane Clowe, LW (concussion) – out indefinitely.
St. Louis Blues
Patrik Berglund, C (upper body) – will not play.
Jori Lehtera, C (undisclosed) – will not play.
Chris Porter, LW (high ankle sprain) – no return date set.
Nashville Predators
Pekka Rinne, G (knee) – no return date set.
Ryan Ellis, D (lower body) – out two weeks.
Colorado Avalanche
Borna Rendulic, RW (broken leg) – out 2-3 months.
Erik Johnson, D (knee) – no return date set.
Jamie McGinn, LW (back) – out for the season.
Ryan Wilson, D (shoulder surgery) – out for the season.
Jesse Winchester, LW (concussion) – no timetable for return.
Patrick Bordeleau, LW (fractured kneecap) – no timetable for return.
Buffalo Sabres
Michal Neuvirth, G (lower body) – no return date set.
Marcus Foligno, LW (hand) – no timetable for return.
Cody McCormick, C (blood clot) – out indefinitely.
Vancouver Canucks
Brad Richardson, C (ankle) – will not play.
Derek Dorsett, RW (back) – will not play.
Kevin Bieksa, D (hand) – out 6-8 weeks.
Chicago Blackhawks
Kris Versteeg, RW (hand) – will not play.
Daniel Carcillo, LW (suspension) – will not play.
Trevor van Riemsdyk, D (knee) – no return date set.
Anaheim Ducks
Stefan Noesen, RW (Achilles) – no timetable for return.
Sheldon Souray, D (wrist) – out for the season.
Hot
Jonas Hiller, G, CGY – Despite getting tagged with the loss, Hiller was outstanding last night, making 31 saves for the Flames, his only goal allowed coming off a Mark Giordano turnover. Hiller has allowed just three goals in his past three appearances and reasserted his position as the Flames' No. 1 goaltender. He gets an easy matchup Saturday against Edmonton.
Mike Ribeiro, C, NSH – An assist in a 5-4 shootout loss to St. Louis last night gives Ribeiro five points in his past three games. At his best he's one of the slickest playmakers in the league, and at his worst he's one of the biggest loudmouth whiners. He's certainly been been pretty good lately.
Cold
Brad Richards, LW, CHI – Other than a two-point game against lowly Arizona, Richards has gone pointless in four of his past five games. Despite firing five shots in a 4-3 loss against the Kings, Richards still couldn't find the score sheet. He doesn't get much ice time on a stacked Blackhawks squad and his best days are clearly behind him. He has just 28 points on the season.
Nikita Kucherov, LW, TB – Kucherov didn't register a goal in the Lightning's 5-1 triumph over Detroit last night for Eastern Conference dominance, extending his goalless drought to 10 games. It's possible the sophomore forward has hit a wall after a really good showing in the first half of the season. It is really hard to score at his pace (43 points in 49 games) in the NHL, and he has yet to score a goal in January. He's talented so he won't stay in this funk for long, but the second half of the season may not be as productive as the first.
Recommended Pickup
Evgeny Kuznetsov, C, WSH – The Caps have a nice break before they face the best goalie in the league in Carey Price and they'll need their offense firing on all cylinders to beat him. Kuznetsov was the Caps' first-round pick in 2010 and was one of the favorites to win the Calder this year. Although his production hasn't lived up to expectations he's always been known to be a very talented offensive player. With three points in his past three games, perhaps he's found a groove, and if Barry Trotz will give him a little more playing time he could really produce. He's a low-risk, high-upside pickup.
