In today’s News & Notes, The Detroit Red Wings will be without a first-round talent for most of the season, TJ Oshie is coming to the defense of Tom Wilson & the Montreal Canadiens have placed Jacob De La Rose on waivers.
Svechnikov Out 5-6 Months
The Red Wings 2018-19 season went from bad to worse Tuesday when the team announced that 2015 first-round pick Evgeny Svechnikov underwent successful surgery on his right knee. The surgery was performed to repair Svechnikov’s anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and should keep the 21-year-old out for the next 5-6 months.
Evgeny Svechnikov (John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports)
Svechnikov was highly touted coming out of the QMJHL having scored 64 goals and 157 points in only 105 games in his two seasons with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. He wouldn’t disappoint in his first professional season either as he would score 20 goals and 51 points in 74 games in 2016-17 while going pointless in two NHL Games that season. Svechnikov would play in 14 games in the NHL in 2017-18, scoring two goals and four points while also regressing a little in the AHL that season with only seven goals and 23 points in 57 games.
Related: NHL News & Notes: Plekanec, Schultz & More
He hasn’t played a game in the NHL yet in 2018-19 and his timeline for recovery will essentially keep him out for the entirety of the season with a chance for him to return at the tail-end of the season.
Oshie Wants Wilson’s Suspension Reduced
When Wilson was handed a 20-game suspension for his most recent illegal hit to St. Louis Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist in the preseason, many were finally satisfied with the punishment that was handed down to the Capitals’ forward. Naturally, however, Wilson’s teammates weren’t thrilled about the length of time Wilson will be missing due to the suspension with one of the most vocal on the subject being Oshie.
Washington Capitals right wing T.J. Oshie talks to left wing Alex Ovechkin. (Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports)
“We miss Tom,” Oshie told Omnisport in a phone interview Tuesday. “He’s younger than most of us but he’s kind of the big brother of the team.
“He keeps other team’s enforcers in check and he can change the momentum of a game with either a hit or a forecheck or whatever it is, so he’s greatly missed, and we’re hoping that they can cut him some slack here and take off some of those games.”
It isn’t surprising to see Oshie continue to defend Wilson given the fact that they are teammates. It’s even less surprising when considering one of Wilson’s primary roles on the club is to keep players like Oshie safe. Still, there’s simply no reason for the NHL to reduce this suspension given the nature of the hit as well as the history that Wilson, being suspended four times in his last 105 preseason, regular season and postseason games alone.
Jacob de la Rose on Waivers
The Canadiens have placed de la Rose on waivers, the team announced Tuesday. The 23-year-old forward has yet to play in a game for the Canadiens this season following a cardiac episode suffered following a preseason game on Sept. 29 against the Ottawa Senators. While he hasn’t played, he has been practicing with the team after he was cleared by the Canadiens’ doctor.
Canadiens forward Jacob De La Rose (Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports)
De La Rose has scored eight goals and 19 points in 119 career NHL games and though he hasn’t yet broken out for the Canadiens, he’s been trusted by the team to play a crucial defensive-zone role whenever he’s on the ice. In his career, de la Rose has started 61.1% of his shifts in the defensive zone, broken down to 64.7% in 2014-15, 74.5% in 2015-16, 81.5% in 2017-17 and 50.4% in 2017-18.
As the numbers show, de la Rose’s usage was balanced out last season after some very difficult assignments early in his tenure with the team. Despite his slow start to his career in the NHL, many still think de la Rose could make an impact in the NHL as a bottom-six forward given what he’s shown in Sweden and in the AHL.
