The Vegas Golden Knights acquire C/W Mattias Janmark and a 2021 5th round draft pick in exchange for a 2021 second round pick and a 2022 third round pick
Janmark, 28, has posted 19 points (10 G, 9 A) to go with eight penalty minutes in 41 games this season with the Chicago Blackhawks. The Stockholm, Sweden native has posted 128 points (56 G, 72 A) to go with 84 penalty minutes in 338 career games while suiting up for the Blackhawks and Dallas Stars (2015-20). The forward was selected in the third round (79th overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft by the Detroit Red Wings.
Source: Vegas Golden Knights
Never shy to make a move, the Golden Knights brought in some depth in the form of Mattias Janmark. Janmark comes to a Vegas Golden Knights team with ample top-end talent, in serious need of forward depth. GM Kelly McCrimmon made the move at the 2021 trade deadline, seemingly hoping to solidify his forward corps for a long and successful Stanley Cup run.
While Janmark has experience at center, he has been used largely as a winger in his NHL tenure, a decision validated by his lackluster 38.3 career FO%. He could potentially provide a boost to the inconsistent Power Play unit in Vegas. He’s collected four goals and three assists while on the man advantage this season.
At 6-1, 195 pounds, Janmark is neither a pushover nor particularly intimidating. So who exactly is this new player coming to Vegas? Let’s take a look at the big picture....
Season Stats: 41 GP, 10 goals, 9 assists, 19 points, -17 rating, 9 blocks, 22 hits, 16:49 ATOI
Advanced Stats (5v5): 42.2 Corsi For %, -6.3 Corsi For rel, 96.5 PDO, 11.8 Expected Goals For
USA Today Sports
His season numbers clearly do not pass the eye test. Having a Corsi Rel in the negative is, in layman’s terms, bad. His -6.3 isn’t one of the worst marks in the league, but it suggests that he drug his teammates down in terms of shot generation. While that doesn’t make him a bad player, it is concerning.
In order to get the full effect of Janmark as a player, we need to go to the tape. In the next few passages, I’ll dissect each of Janmark’s 16 shifts in Thursday’s loss to the Stars, shift-by-shift.
Last game: Thursday, April 8 versus Dallas: 15:16 TOI, 0 points, 0 shots, 0 faceoffs, -1 rating, 0 hits, 0 blocks
P1, 0:00, 0-0 Janmark was on the opening shift, playing left wing. Dallas got control and got the puck in deep. Janmark waited at the opposing blue line as support for the puck carrier, Duncan Keith. He covered for Keith and once it was safe, worked toward the slot for a loose puck. Then, he covered the opposite point position as his defenseman pinched for a board battle.
As the Stars emerged from the board battle with the puck, he attempted to break up the breakout, to no avail. Dallas went offside at Blackhawks’ blue line. Shift change.
P1, 02:23, 0-0 Janmark took the ice on the fly as the Stars were headed toward his defensive zone. He added pressure with the defenseman and ended up with the puck from his teammate’s poke check.
He then made a tough cross-ice pass under pressure, from the left side of his own zone to a winger streaking down the right wall at the red line. He then headed to the low slot with the puck in deep behind the goal. Puck eventually got covered on failed centering pass.
Offensive zone faceoff was lost. Good pursuit and stick-on-stick play by Janmark. Board battled at red line with Stars. Puck got into Blackhawks’ zone and Janmark failed to chip the clearing pass through Stars defender. Blackhawks ended up with the puck and he was able to get off for a line change.
P1, 06:00, 0-0 Offensive zone draw, left side won. He received a quick pass from the right wing and chipped the puck back across to his opposite defenseman for a quick shot. Worked to make himself available for a pass while Chicago possessed the puck low, but it was eventually turned over. Provided pressure for Stars breakout, then changed lines.
P1, 08:10, 0-0 Penalty to former Golden Knight Ryan Carpenter. Janmark took the first PK shift. Had good spacing and gap control at the blue line. He found a loose puck around the net during a scramble. He then tried to clear the puck around boards, but it was kept in at the far blue line. Shift change when puck was eventually covered.
Dallas quickly scored a PPG on the next shift.
P1, 10:37, 0-1 Offensive zone faceoff, on the right side was lost. Janmark broke up a pass in his own zone, intended for the high slot. He ended up with the puck, carried it past the Stars’ blue line, and made a nice drop pass to his teammate. Puck was eventually turned over, leading to a quick line change.
P1, 14:05, 1-1 First shift following team’s first goal, neutral zone faceoff. He couldn’t work the puck away from John Klingberg deep in the Chicago zone.
Blackhawks eventually got the puck, Janmark received a cross- ice pass, and carried it up the ice. He hit a streaking forward with a nice pass in transition as he approached the Stars’ blue line and then drove the net. Lost control of puck on teammate’s dump attempt and changed lines.
- End of the first period, Chicago on Power Play -
P2, 03:31, 1-1 Blackhawks Power Play. Janmark carried the puck from his zone to the Stars’ for a nice entry. He worked low and around the net before finding his defenseman for a pass, thus setting up the PP unit. He worked the low corner until a shot came and he drove the net as support.
PP over, Janmark had a one-touch pass broken up at the Stars’ blue line after receiving it on the zone entry. He ended up with the puck in his own zone and again turned it over to Dallas, but they gave it right back to him. He carried the puck out of the zone and into Dallas’ with a good move around Moro Heiskanen. It was the end of his shift and he got outnumbered behind the net, losing the puck. Line change.
P2, 07:10, 1-2 Defensive zone draw. He quickly tried to get to the blue line on the faceoff loss, to get a stick on the quick point shot into traffic. A good forecheck by Janmark led to an eventual Stars turnover in their own end. Drifted to the far side of the net hoping for a pass he didn’t get. Line change.
P2, 10:41, 1-2 Offensive zone draw lost. Janmark had a couple chances to get stick on puck, but failed. Changed lines after chipping a puck deep behind the Dallas net.
P2, 13:14, 1-2 Penalty to former Golden Knight Ryan Carpenter. Faceoff lost, some non-threatening zone time for Dallas, then a clear and a change. Janmark looked a touch complacent at the top of the zone.
Dallas scored another PPG on the next shift.
P2, 17:50, 1-4 Power Play change on the fly. Patrick Kane remained out. Janmark stole the puck behind the net and got it his teammate on the half wall. He then set up in the high slot with Kane handling the puck at the blue line. He got the puck at the top of the faceoff circle and had his pass low blocked and eventually cleared.
Janmark was active, looking for openings and noticeably kept his stick blade on the ice and available for the puck carriers.
- End of the second period -
P3, 0:00, 1-4 Jumped on a loose puck in his own zone, took it behind the net to set up, and left a pass for his defenseman. Bad turnover at their own blue line by Duncan Keith leads to a Stars a goal and an undeserved minus for Janmark. That goal made it 5-1 Stars and that’s how the game would end.
P3, 04:05, 1-5 Change on the fly. Good effort in his own zone to get to a loose puck on the boards after sustained pressure from Dallas, but he turned it over to the Stars. Puck eventually got back to him and he got it deep for a line change.
P3, 08:30, 1-5: Was shift-stolen by Kane with an offensive zone faceoff coming.
P3, 10:48, 1-5 Nice job collecting another loose puck, something starting to seem like a trend. He has a nose for loose pucks. Good, quick chip pass under pressure at the Stars blue line. At the end of his shift, Janmark took the body at his own blue line, but not terribly effectively. He’s not an overly physical guy.
P3, 14:58, 1-5 Janmark did a good job shielding off the opposing winger to get the puck off the boards and exit the Hawks’ zone. He unfortunately ran straight into Jamie Oleksiak and lost the puck at the Stars’ blue line. The Hawks maintained a good forecheck before it was finally cleared. He received a breakout pass, gained the red line, and got the puck deep for a line change.
P3, 19:04, 1-5 Last shift of the game. Took the ice and quickly knocked the puck off an opponent’s stick in the Stars’ zone. Lots of time wasting, after they recovered the puck, to close out the game by Dallas.
USA Today Sports
Overall summary of Janmark’s game: The forward has some good hockey IQ and puck skill which shows itself most on zone entries and quick little passes. He remains calm under pressure and didn’t turn the puck over in some scenarios he probably should have. He wasn’t particularly flashy or impressive in this one, but he played a fine game.
He does tend to drift around the offensive zone hoping for a pass, but shows good hustle in his own end, jumping on loose pucks and attempting to break up plays at his own blue line. His line didn’t generate many scoring chances, but it didn’t come as a result of his play.
After losing a shift to Kane, he spent the rest of the game with Carpenter on the fourth line and looked unaffected. He made the plays he could and as mentioned earlier, was not responsible for his sole minus of the night.
On first look, he doesn’t seem to be a huge upgrade over the current third line options of the Vegas Golden Knights, but the question is if he will find chemistry with Alex Tuch. The Golden Knights are aware that depth and some help for their young power forward is integral, hence the move for Janmark.
His special teams dependability is also invaluable, playing both the Power Play and Penalty Kill for Chicago. His skating looks like it can hold up with the Golden Knights’ tempo. Janmark will come in to open arms and simply will be another option for a Golden Knights team battling depth, special teams, and health issues. Janmark will be an Unrestricted Free Agent at the end of the season. He’s a low-risk rental that the Golden Knights are clearly hoping will help them in the playoffs.
The Golden Knights will be back in action Wednesday evening, in Los Angeles for their second-straight game against the Kings. With 21 games to go and the first-place Avalanche within reach, they’ll be looking to gear up for a strong stretch run to the playoffs.
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