Jonathan Drouin is being welcomed back to the AHL's Syracuse Crunch, and will have to work hard to repair damage done upon walking away from the team back in January, both on and off the ice.
So says Crunch captain Mike Angelidis, who's appeared in only 14 NHL games with the Tampa Bay Lightning while largely plying his trade in the minors for the past decade.
"I think he's going to have to earn his respect from guys as well," Angelidis said Tuesday after practice, according to Lindsay Kramer of Syracuse.com. "It's not something (where) you just come back in. I think he's going to come in and work hard and that's how everything's going to be fine. He's going to have to come in and play, and he's going to play hard. He can't just come through and go through the motions."
For the time being, and despite recent circumstances, Angelidis is willing to give the 20-year-old the benefit of the doubt.
"I don't think he's got that kind of character. I think he's got a good head on his shoulders where he'll come in and work hard. If he comes in and doesn't work hard, then, obviously, there's entitlement there. But I don't think it's going to go that way. I think he realized the guys in the dressing room won't allow that to happen."
Drouin was last off the ice at Crunch practice and picked up some pucks on his way to the locker room, which, in the captain's eyes, was a good start on the road back to the NHL.
If anyone knows it doesn't come easy, it's Angelidis.
TORONTO - Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Matt Hunwick will not play another game this season.
Hunwick will have season-ending sports hernia surgery, playing his final game this year on Monday night. Toronto head coach Mike Babcock announced t...
Hunwick, 31 in the spring, finishes with two goals and eight assists in 60 games. He averaged 22:34 in ice time, and had a 47 Corsi For rating, according to Hockey Reference. He's under contract for next season at $1.2 million.
John Klingberg will be back in the lineup when he's back in the lineup.
The Dallas Stars defenseman won't play Tuesday against the Montreal Canadiens. He was hurt last Friday, with the team saying it's a lower-body ailment and calling him day to day.
"He's doing OK, but he is not ready to skate yet," head coach Lindy Ruff said Tuesday, according to the Stars' Mark Stepneski.
Klingberg wasn't expected to travel to Montreal, so his being out isn't a surprise, but his absence, originally deemed short term by Ruff, appears like it will be longer than Dallas hoped.
A day after the Tampa Bay Lightning lifted Jonathan Drouin's suspension and general manager Steve Yzerman indicated he was leaving the door open for the young forward to return to the big club, it appears as though the feeling is mutual.
Drouin spoke after practicing with the AHL's Syracuse Crunch on Tuesday, and said it's possible the two sides can indeed reconcile after Yzerman decided to hold on to him as the trade deadline passed.
"Obviously, I wish it maybe went the other way," he added, "but it happened that way, and it's going to be fixed in the summer in the summer and we'll figure it out."
Drouin is expected to be in the Crunch's lineup Friday, with a possible recall looming on the horizon, if all goes well.
Evander Kane seems a lot older he actually is.
The 24-year-old is already an NHL veteran, currently playing in his seventh season after entering the league as a teenager with the Atlanta Thrashers, two seasons before they moved to Winnipeg.
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After he was dealt to the San Jose Sharks prior to the trade deadline, a report emerged suggesting the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent was asking for $6 million per season on his new deal.
This, it was said, precipitated the team's decision to move on.
"I don’t even want to dignify it with a response," Reimer told Eric Francis of the Calgary Sun of the report. "That was definitely untrue."
The 27-year-old is in the final season of a two-year, $4.6-million contract signed with Toronto, and for now is focusing on helping his new club down the stretch.
"Going into the offseason is not something I even think about right now - I’m focused now on trying to help this team get as far as we can," he said.
"But if we can have success it’s a win-win for both situations."
Reimer allowed three goals on 25 shots in his only start for the Sharks to date.
But Jagr wasn't in the mood to celebrate the milestone after the Florida Panthers dropped their third straight game, a 5-4 decision to the Boston Bruins.
"It's more for you guys," Jagr said to the assembled media after the game, in a video posted on the Miami Herald's website. "It's just behind me now, let's concentrate on the wins."
Jagr, who turned 44 last month, has 21 goals and 28 assists in 63 games. He's got his eye on the playoffs (which he hasn't played in since 2013), because the postseason means more hockey, and if Jagr's proved anything, it's that he can't get enough of the game.
The Panthers fell behind 4-1 Monday night, storming back to tie the game. New Bruin Lee Stempniak scored the winning goal in overtime.
"It's not like they outplayed us," Jagr said, according to the Miami Herald's Aric Dillala. "It'd be a different story if they outplayed us. We just (gave) it to them."
The Bruins and Panthers are now tied in the Atlantic Division with 81 points, with Florida officially in second place because its played one fewer game. Both trail the Tampa Bay Lightning by two points.
With a win over Tampa Bay on Monday, the Philadelphia Flyers moved to within two points of Detroit for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
A recent 7-2-1 run has greatly increased their chances of qualifying for the playoffs, something that seemed like a pipe dream as the calendar turned to 2016.
Now within striking distance of both Detroit and Pittsburgh with 17 games remaining for each club, here's three reasons why the Flyers will indeed be one of the final 16 teams left standing at the end of the regular season.
Ghost Bear, Gudas & Co.
The big story, of course, has been the one they call "The Ghost Bear," who's been nothing short of spectacular since being called up in mid-November. Through 47 games, 22-year-old Shayne Gostisbehere has recorded 14 goals and 23 assists, and only Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang, Brent Burns, and John Klingberg are averaging more points per game among defensemen.
While Gostisbehere is rightfully being lauded for helping right the Flyers' offensive ship with his breakout performance on the blue line, the emergence of Radko Gudas as a stellar defenseman is also going a long way towards propelling Philadelphia's upward climb.
Sure, his recent four-point night was an anomaly, and he's known more for questionable hits than pushing the puck up the ice, but possession-wise, Gudas is actually playing at a high level.
Among defensemen with at least 750 minutes of ice time at five-on-five, Gudas ranks 20th with a Corsi rating of 53.7, while beginning only 31.6 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone.
Defense wasn't expected to be an area of strength for the Flyers, but six of the eight players who have dressed this season sit at or above 50 in terms of five-on-five Corsi.
Top line on fire
Jakub Voracek's lower-body injury could not have come at a worse time, and while he's expected to miss a couple more games, the Flyers' top line has been smoking hot in his absence.
Voracek's expected return should only give the Flyers a more balanced offense, making the team difficult to handle down the stretch.
Their team shooting percentage sits at 7.05 at five-on-five, good for 18th in the league. Even a slight uptick will give the Flyers that much more of a boost down the stretch.
Finally, some solid goaltending
Philadelphia's quest for anything resembling competent play in net has been lengthy and well documented, but general manager Ron Hextall may have finally unlocked that particular achievement.
Once thought to be a lost cause in Columbus, Steve Mason has quietly rejuvenated his career with the Flyers, while the addition of Michal Neuvirth has given head coach Dave Hakstol reason to believe he has a 1A-1B tandem on his hands.
Player
GP
Record
GAA
Sv%
SO
Steve Mason
39
15-15-7
2.61
.916
4
Michal Neuvirth
30
16-8-4
2.29
.925
3
In five-on-five play, the Flyers' .936 save percentage ranks second only to the New York Rangers, meaning the goalies can't be blamed this time around if the Flyers don't end up advancing to the postseason.
With three games remaining against Pittsburgh and two versus the Red Wings, all of the above will be key in terms of passing one or both en route to a playoff berth.
You can't beat hockey hair. And the Minnesota State High School hockey tournament features some of the best flows in North America. Maybe even the world, dare we say.
