George Richards, FHN Publisher
The Florida Panthers have made it pretty obvious Keith Yandle will not be in their plans when the season starts Sunday.
By putting him in a second group of fringe roster players and not playing him with an dedicated defensive partner in Tuesday’s scrimmage, it does not appear Yandle has a role in their game prep for the opener against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Yandle, in speaking with Florida Hockey Now on Tuesday afternoon, said he has not been told much of anything from the team’s management or coaching staff.
When the Panthers open Sunday, Yandle hopes to be in the lineup.
He is not sure whether or not that will be the case.
If Yandle does not play, his consecutive games streak of 866 — the longest active ‘Iron Man’ run in the NHL — will come to an end as a healthy scratch.
“I am preparing to play and I am excited for the season to start,” Yandle said. “But whatever happens … listen, I had a good offseason preparing for camp and I feel good. I am definitely excited for the season to start.
‘’I haven’t thought too hard (about the streak ending) because even in season, I don’t think about it too much. But I know I am healthy and ready to go.
“I hope it doesn’t come to that. The signs are kind of there but I know I can help the team and all the guys know that too. For me, I just have to be ready. I am ready to go.”
If it ends?
“I will be taking pride in being a good teammate and being there for the guys,’’ Yandle continued. “The guys are here for me now which is a good sign. I’m just ready to go come Sunday.”
The Panthers appear to want Yandle to waive the full no-movement clause they gave him when he signed a seven-year deal in 2016, but he says they have not asked him to do so either recently or in the past.
Would he waive the no-trade if asked?
”I don’t know, I mean, I love playing here and love the guys,” Yandle said. “I love our group, the coaches, everyone. My family is invested down here. I signed here expecting to play the rest of my career here.
“Honestly, as much as I have tried not to think about it — I’m not on Twitter or anything like that — I’m just doing my job. My parents always told me to ‘go to work every day, put your head down and grind’ and that’s what I have always done. That’s what I am doing now.”
The past couple of weeks, Yandle said, have been tough on him.
On Sunday morning, coach Joel Quenneville had two teams, practicing at different times.
The early crew looked a lot like the team Florida would ice when it opens against the visiting Blackhawks.
All the regulars were there: Barkov, Ekblad, Huberdeau, Stralman, etc.
Except for one.
Yandle was with the second team, a group of eight skaters who are (save for Yandle) all on the roster bubble.
If Sunday was a morning skate, Yandle would have been working with the healthy scratches.
Quenneville said that he wanted to take a look at some of Florida’s younger defensemen (including newly acquired Gustav Forsling) to give them a chance to show what they’ve got.
Then on Monday, Kevin Connatoun, a veteran defenseman in camp on a try out, left the second team to join the main group.
Yandle remained on the scratch team.
In Tuesday’s full-team scrimmage, Yandle took part but floated between defensive partners such as Anton Stralman, Forsling and Radko Gudas.
“I know what I bring to the team, to the group and we’re still in training camp so it’s still a grind, you’re just trying to get through and waiting for the regular season to start,” Yandle said.
“This obviously, has been a little different. I am in that second group, I don’t have a partner. But I haven’t had too many conversations.
“When it comes to the no-move (clause), I don’t know where their approach is, what (GM) Bill Zito’s end goal is. Whatever it is, I haven’t been told.”
This is not the first time Quenneville has said something to the tune of “we know what Yandle can do, let’s see what others can do” during this camp.
Last week, when the Panthers broke out their special teams work for the first time, Aaron Ekblad was in Yandle’s spot running the top power play unit.
The Panthers, certainly, know what Yandle can do when it comes to the power play.
After all, he is one of the top point producers among all NHL defensemen while playing with the advantage.
Since joining the Panthers in 2016, Yandle has scored 27 goals with 204 points with almost half of those points coming on a Florida power play which has been ranked among the league’s top 10 in each of the past two seasons.
Over the past four years with the Panthers, Yandle’s 96 power play points are fifth-highest in the NHL among defensemen.
Ekblad, Quenneville said, was simply getting a look to see how things worked. Throughout camp, it definitely looks like Yandle’s position as quarterback of the top power play unit belongs to Ekblad.
If the Panthers are trying to diminish Yandle’s role on the team and try to make him unhappy enough to waive the no-trade clause in his contract, it probably is not working.
“You see me out there. Do I look miserable?,’’ said Yandle, who has three years left (including this season) and is owed $13.2 million by the team. His $3 million signing bonus for this season has already been paid out.
“The guys in the locker room have had my back so much and continue to reinforce that I am a key part of this team.
“When it comes down to it, you play for your teammates, your coaches — your team. But it is a business as you know. When you have guys like Barkov and Ekblad telling me to just stay with it and everything will work out, that really helps.
“Having the support of my teammates really keeps my spirits up every day. I come to the rink every day, have fun and absolutely love my job. I am going to continue doing that.”
When Yandle’s rights were acquired by the Panthers before the 2016 NHL draft, the team was desperate to sign him before he could hit the free agency market and, for the most part, acquiesced to every financial and contractual request.
Not only did Yandle secure a seven-year contract with the Panthers worth an average of $6.35 million per season, but he got the commitment of a full no-trade clause for the first six years thrown in.
In the first year of the contract, Yandle was the highest highest paid player on the team, and he accounted for almost 10 percent of the Panthers’ salary cap.
In the final year of the contract — which is not until 2022-23 — Yandle still has a modified no-trade clause which means Yandle would have to provide the Panthers a list of teams of which he would agree to be traded to.
If it ever comes to that.
As of now, Yandle’s Iron Man streak could come to a halt at 866 games or, if he is in the lineup Sunday, sometime soon.
Yandle’s run of consecutive games — which dates all the way back to 2009 when he played for the Phoenix Coyotes — has endured through numerous injuries from a heavily swollen foot after taking a shot off his skate to spending hours in the dental chair after being struck in the face with a puck.
Yet, as was the case with Karl Alzner when his streak ended at 622 games in 2018, it would be a coach’s decision, and not injury, that puts a very impressive run to an end.
Yandle is 98 games away from tying Doug Jarvis for the all-time record for consecutive games played and, if he were to play in all 56 games this season, would be alone in second place.
While Yandle’s streak may not make it to next week, his time in South Florida with the Panthers will continue — at least for now.
“I haven’t really been told too much,’’ said Yandle, whose $6.35 million cap hit is third highest on the team behind Sergei Bobrovsky ($10 million) and Ekblad ($7.5 million).
“You know how I am. I just show up at the rink every day, play and have fun and that’s how I have been dealing with it.
“I am just going to keep showing up and do my job every day.”
NHL CONSECUTIVE GAMES PLAYED
1. Doug Jarvis 964 Oct. 8, 1975-Oct. 10, 1987
2. Garry Unger 914 Feb. 24, 1968-Dec. 21, 1979
3. Steve Larmer 884 Oct. 6, 1982-April 15, 1993
4. Keith Yandle 866 March 26, 2009-PRESENT
5. Patrick Marleau 854 April 9, 2009-PRESENT
6. Phil Kessel 844 Nov. 3, 2009-PRESENT
7. Andrew Cogliano 830 Oct. 4, 2007-Jan. 13, 2018
8. Craig Ramsay 776 March 27, 1973-Feb. 10, 1983
9. Jay Bouwmeester 737 March 6, 2004-Nov. 22, 2014
10. Henrik Sedin 679 March 21, 2004-Jan. 18, 2014