Montreal Canadiens defenseman Victor Mete will miss the remainder of this season due to a fractured foot, the team announced Wednesday.
Mete suffered the injury during a game against the Detroit Red Wings on Feb. 18.
In 51 games with Montreal this season, the 21-year-old managed four goals and seven assists.
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Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Muzzin will be out approximately four weeks after suffering a broken hand Tuesday, the team announced Wednesday.
Defenseman Calle Rosen was recalled from the AHL's Toronto Marlies In a corresponding move.
Muzzin exited Tuesday's contest against the Tampa Bay Lightning after taking a shot off his hand in the second period.
The 31-year-old has been one of the Maple Leafs' most important players in 2019-20. He's third on the team in average ice time (21:36), first in hits (109), and first in blocked shots (110). He's also chipped in six goals and 17 assists in 53 games.
Toronto is already without two key defensemen as both Morgan Rielly and Cody Ceci are currently on injured reserve. Muzzin also missed a month earlier this season due to a broken foot.
Muzzin signed a four-year, $22.5-million extension with the Leafs on Monday.
Rosen, who was with the Maple Leafs before being dealt to the Colorado Avalanche last offseason, was reacquired prior to Monday's trade deadline. He's spent the majority of his time in the AHL this season, though he did record two assists in eight games with the Avalanche.
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New York Islanders head coach Barry Trotz is a big fan of his team's recent acquisition of forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau.
"What a great pickup by (general manager) Lou (Lamoriello)," Trotz told reporters postgame Tuesday, according to The Athletic's Arthur Staple. "The (draft) picks are nothing, I can tell you that - a lot of picks never play."
The Islanders were one of the league's biggest spenders at the trade deadline, giving up a conditional first-round pick, a second-round pick, and a conditional third-rounder to add the 27-year-old forward from the Ottawa Senators.
The team immediately signed Pageau to a six-year extension with an average annual value of $5 million. He recorded a goal in his first game with his new club in Tuesday's contest against the New York Rangers.
Only 10 of the 38 players selected by the Islanders in six drafts dating back to 2014 have appeared in at least one NHL game. Of those 10 players, seven were selected in the first round.
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In the fifth edition of theScore's 2019-20 Vezina Trophy Power Rankings, we look at the leading candidates for the award through the first five months of the season.
| Record | GAA | xGA/60 | SV% | HDSV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26-20-5 | 2.72 | 2.76 | .918 | .811 |
Hellebuyck's consistent play between the pipes has kept the Jets afloat in an extremely competitive Western Conference playoff race. The 26-year-old owns a .921 save percentage in the month of February and ranks third among netminders in expected goals saved above average at five-on-five on the season.
The Jets' most valuable player is heading for familiar territory in terms of workload. With 52 starts already under his belt, Hellebuyck will likely reach the 60-start mark for the third consecutive campaign.
| Record | GAA | xGA/60 | SV% | HDSV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28-11-7 | 2.63 | 2.53 | .911 | .860 |
Binnington has bounced back in a big way after an ugly January knocked him off our rankings.
Even after surrendering five goals Tuesday, the Blues puck-stopper has still allowed just six goals over his past four starts and has posted two shutouts in February. Binnington also ranks second among all netminders in both wins and high-danger save percentage.
| Record | GAA | xGA/60 | SV% | HDSV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32-12-3 | 2.61 | 2.32 | .914 | .823 |
Vasilevskiy continues to climb up our list with his sublime play between the pipes. The Russian puck-stopper leads all netminders in wins by a wide margin and ranks third in total minutes played.
Prior to a forgettable two-game Western road trip, Vasilevskiy posted a record of 19-0-2 to go along with a 1.97 goals-against average and a .934 save percentage over a masterful two-month stretch.
| Record | GAA | xGA/60 | SV% | HDSV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21-13-4 | 2.45 | 2.52 | .922 | .846 |
The league's largest puck-stopper has been a model of consistency between the pipes all decade. With three top-three finishes in Vezina voting over the last eight seasons, Bishop has put himself in a strong position to finally capture the elusive hardware in 2019-20.
The 33-year-old has given the goal-starved Stars a chance to win nearly every night. He's allowed two or fewer goals in 64% of his starts and has only conceded four or more on six occasions.
| Record | GAA | xGA/60 | SV% | HDSV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23-7-6 | 2.22 | 2.31 | .926 | .853 |
Rask is back at the top of our rankings for the first time since this season's opening edition.
The Finn ranks fifth among netminders in standard save percentage and third in high-danger save percentage. He sits second in goals saved above average at five-on-five. Before allowing 10 goals over his last two starts, Rask had surrendered two or fewer tallies in 11 straight outings, boasting a .951 save percentage in those games.
(Advanced stats source: Natural Stat Trick, Corsica Hockey)
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David Ayres' fast-track to superstardom has garnered the attention of the NHL, as the league's emergency backup goalie rules are expected to be discussed when general managers convene for their annual meetings in Florida next week.
Ayres has dominated headlines across the sports world since Saturday night, when he was forced to suit up in goal for the Carolina Hurricanes and ultimately won his appearance against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Despite all the fun and publicity the situation created, the league will now explore if the process needs changing.
"I think it's a fair question," deputy commissioner Bill Daly told NHL.com's Tom Gulitti. "It's something we've given some consideration over the years. As recently as last year, we discussed (it) with general managers. It happens very, very rarely, but when it happens, it raises everybody's attention to the issue and whether there are fixes that need to be made to that particular issue."
Ayres, 42, works as a Zamboni driver for Toronto's AHL affiliate and has practiced with the Maple Leafs in the past. The last emergency backup to see game action prior to Ayres was Scott Foster, a 36-year-old accountant who earned a win for the Chicago Blackhawks in March 2018.
"There's no easy fixes to it," Daly said. "Particularly, we have to work with the (NHL) Players' Association. Who's a player? Who's not a player? What qualifies all of that? But we obviously want what's best for the game, and we want to make sure people aren't putting themselves in danger by playing goal in a National Hockey League game ... So that's obviously something we have to continue to work through."
Ayres has turned into a viral sensation since living out his NHL dream. The city of Raleigh declared Tuesday "David Ayres Day," and he's been interviewed on talk shows throughout the continent, including the Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
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Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Muzzin exited Tuesday's contest versus the Tampa Bay Lightning with a hand injury and won't return, the team announced.
Muzzin blocked a Victor Hedman shot late in the second period and didn't come out for the final frame.
Toronto is currently without blue-liners Morgan Rielly and Cody Ceci, who are each out with long-term injuries. Muzzin missed one month earlier this season due to a broken foot.
Muzzin signed a four-year, $22.5-million extension with the Maple Leafs on Monday and has arguably been the club's most reliable defenseman this season. The 31-year-old has posted 23 points while averaging just under 22 minutes per night.
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With a busy trade deadline in the rearview mirror, NHL rosters are set and the playoff push is underway, with the quest for the Stanley Cup on the horizon.
There was a flurry of action in the lead-up to Monday's deadline. While some general managers were busy strengthening their teams for the stretch run, others got lost in the chaos, with their respective squads' chances suffering blows as a result.
Here are the updated Stanley Cup odds heading into the final six weeks of the regular season:
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Boston Bruins | +550 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | +600 |
| St. Louis Blues | +800 |
| Colorado Avalanche | +900 |
| Vegas Golden Knights | +900 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | +1000 |
| Washington Capitals | +1000 |
| Dallas Stars | +1100 |
| Edmonton Oilers | +1600 |
| New York Islanders | +1800 |
| Vancouver Canucks | +2000 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | +2000 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | +2000 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | +2800 |
| Calgary Flames | +3000 |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | +3300 |
| Nashville Predators | +3500 |
| Arizona Coyotes | +4000 |
| New York Rangers | +4000 |
| Winnipeg Jets | +4000 |
| Minnesota Wild | +4500 |
| Florida Panthers | +5000 |
Only displaying teams with odds +5000 or shorter.
Tampa Bay Lightning (+600)
This is a betting article, and for the purposes of winning the Stanley Cup this season, it doesn't matter to us how much teams overpay to add. The Lightning gave up a lot for the likes of Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow, but is anyone going to care about that if they're lifting the Cup come June? Coleman is a smart player who should provide solid depth scoring, while Goodrow makes Tampa a tougher team to play against. And let's not forget Zach Bogosian, who elected to sign with the Bolts over a number of other suitors. Heading a team that just needed some fine-tuning, general manager Julien BriseBois hit a home run.
Washington Capitals (+1000)
The Pittsburgh Penguins and GM Jim Rutherford had a typically excellent couple of weeks leading up to the deadline, but Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan deserves a ton of credit for not just keeping up, but winning their divisional arms race. Brenden Dillon brings experience and toughness to the Caps' blue line, and the addition of a motivated Ilya Kovalchuk is highly intriguing. Each of those players shifts the needle more than the Penguins' addition of Patrick Marleau, which didn't make a whole lot of sense, and the re-acquisition of Conor Sheary. Pittsburgh did well to get Jason Zucker earlier in February, but Rutherford didn't do anything to address the back end, where injuries remain an issue.
The Capitals solidified themselves as the cream of the crop in the Metropolitan Division, and they can be had for the same price as a Penguins team that hasn't much improved since the Zucker trade.
Philadelphia Flyers (+2000)
It wasn't a flashy deadline for Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher, but he did really well given his team's financial restraints. Nate Thompson and Derek Grant won't make a big impact on the scoreboard, but they're the sort of players whose presence is really felt in the playoffs. They offer important grit and depth without disrupting team chemistry. Grant is having a career year and can fill a variety of roles, while Thompson is outstanding in the faceoff circle and should prove an invaluable addition in the room.
Carolina Hurricanes (+2000)
I wrote extensively about the Hurricanes' odds earlier in February, and if you own a Canes futures ticket, you have to be thrilled with the deadline work of GM Don Waddell. Brady Skjei and Sami Vatanen provide a massive boost to a defensive core that's been riddled with injuries, but the real prize was Vincent Trocheck, who gives Carolina legitimately impressive depth down the middle. Injuries in goal are a concern, but Alex Nedeljkovic has had success at every level and there's no reason to suggest he can't fill the void. It's not like Petr Mrazek had been playing lights out, either.
Colorado Avalanche (+900)
It's not all doom and gloom for the Avalanche, who are still an excellent team with a long window to win, but it feels GM Joe Sakic missed the boat a bit here. There's nothing wrong with being patient, but it seemed like Colorado could have taken a significant step toward the Cup by adding someone like Trocheck, Chris Kreider, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, or Tomas Tatar. Colorado has great organizational depth, and it would have been nice to see Sakic flex some of that muscle to have a real go at it this season.
Toronto Maple Leafs (+2800)
The Maple Leafs suffered a painful loss Saturday, but the one taken by GM Kyle Dubas on Monday might have been even worse. He stood idly by as the rest of an already very strong Eastern Conference got that much better. Dubas wasn't exactly swimming in trade assets, but it was a predicament of his own making, and many would have liked to see him get creative to address any of the roster's multiple holes. On a positive note, you can't get your heart broken in Game 7 if you don't reach a Game 7.
Calgary Flames (+3000)
In fairness to GM Brad Treliving, the Flames were backed into a corner following injuries to Mark Giordano and Travis Hamonic. He was never going to be able to replace that pair, but the addition of Erik Gustafsson is underwhelming. In a truly wide-open Pacific Division, it would have been nice to see him roll the dice a bit more. At this rate, there's a decent chance the Flames wind up missing the playoffs altogether.
Florida Panthers (+5000)
The Maple Leafs keep gifting the Panthers a route to the playoffs, but Florida is shockingly reluctant to accept. Not only did the Panthers not improve, but they got worse by dealing Trocheck to a team extremely close to them in the standings. There was nothing to like about Florida's deadline moves, especially with a playoff spot right there for the taking.
Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.
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