Tampa Bay Trades Prospect Anthony DeAngelo for the 37th Pick (Libor Hajek)
The Tampa Bay Lightning traded prospect Anthony DeAngelo for Arizona’s 37th Pick. Tampa subsequently used the pick to draft D Libor Hajek.
DeAngelo put up 6G and 43P in 69 games for Tampa Bay’s AHL affiliate Syracuse Crunch. The 2014 first-rounder was scratched eight times last season for the Cruch. Coach Rob Zettler opined that DeAngelo has excellent offensive ability, but struggled defensively.
The Lightning acquired the Czech defense prospect Libor Hajek with the pick. Hajek scored 3G and 26P with the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL last season.
Panthers Trade Kulikov to Sabres for Pysyk And Picks
The Florida Panthers traded D Dmitry Kulikov and the 33rd pick to the Buffalo Sabres for D Mark Pysyk and the 38th and 89th pick. More details forthcoming.
Kulikov scored 1G and 17P last season in 74 games. He has one year left on his contract worth $4.33MM a year. Mark Pysyk scored 1G and 11P in 55 games for the Sabres.
2016 NHL Draft Results
Pro Hockey Rumors will be following and updating every selection of the 2016 NHL Draft. Below are the results of the first round.
Round 1
1. Toronto Maple Leafs: C Auston Matthews (Zurich Lions – SUI)
2. Winnipeg Jets: RW Patrik Laine (Tappara – SM-liiga)
3. Columbus Blue Jackets: LW Pierre-Luc Dubois (Cape Breton – QMJHL)
4. Edmonton Oilers: RW Jesse Puljujarvi (Karpat – SM-liiga)
5. Vancouver Canucks: D Olli Juolevi (London – OHL)
6. Calgary Flames: LW Matthew Tkachuk (London – OHL)
7. Arizona Coyotes: C Clayton Keller (USA NTDP – USHL)
8. Buffalo Sabres: F Alexander Nylander (Mississauga Steelheads – OHL)
9. Montreal Canadiens: D Mikhail Sergachev (Windsor – OHL)
10. Colorado Avalanche: C Tyson Jost (Penticton – BCHL)
11. Ottawa Senators (from New Jersey): C Logan Brown (Windsor – OHL)
12. New Jersey Devils (from Ottawa): C Michael McLeod (Mississauga Steelheads – OHL)
13. Carolina Hurricanes: D Jake Bean (Calgary – WHL)
14. Boston Bruins: D Charlie McAvoy (Boston University – NCAA)
15. Minnesota Wild: C Luke Kunin (Wisconsin – NCAA)
16. Arizona Coyotes (From Detroit): D Jakob Chychrun (Sarnia – OHL)
17. Nashville Predators: D Dante Fabbro (Penticton – BCHL)
18. Winnipeg Jets (From Philadelphia): D Logan Stanley (Windsor – OHL)
19. New York Islanders: LW Kieffer Bellows (US NTDP)
20. Detroit Red Wings (from Arizona via New York Rangers): D Dennis Cholowski (Chilliwack (BCHL)
21. Carolina Hurricanes (from LA Kings): RW Julien Gauthier (Val-d’Or Foreurs – QMJHL
22. Philadelphia Flyers (From Winnipeg via Chicago): C German Rubtsov (Team Russia U-18)
23. Florida Panthers: C Henrik Borgstrom (HIFK – SM-liiga Jr)
24. Anaheim Ducks: LW Max Jones (London – OHL)
25. Dallas Stars: LW Riley Tufte (Blaine – USHSW)
26. St. Louis Blues (From Washington): C Tage Thompson (Connecticut – NCAA)
27. Tampa Bay Lightning: C Brett Howden (Moose Jaw – WHL)
28. Washington Capitals (From St. Louis): D Lucas Johansen (Kelowna – WHL)
29. Boston Bruins (from San Jose): C Trent Frederic (USA U-18 NTDP)
30. Anaheim Ducks (from Pittsburgh via Toronto): C Sam Steel (Regina – WHL)
Draft Snapshots: Draft Pick Trades, Matthews
The Devils and Senators swapped picks in the first round. The Devils dealt the 11th overall pick to Ottawa for their 12th overall pick and 80th overall pick. Ottawa selected C Logan Brown, whose father coaches Ottawa’s OHL team and has family in Ottawa. The Devils used the pick to draft C Michael McLeod.
Other Draft notes:
- The Flyers traded for the Jets 22nd and 36th overall picks while giving up their 18th and 79th overall picks.
- The Capitals dealt their 26th overall pick to St. Louis for their 28th overall pick and 87th overall pick.
- #1 overall pick Auston Matthews was thrilled to be selected by the Maple Leafs, no matter the long road they still have to competing for a Stanley Cup. Matt Larkin from The Hockey News writes that Matthews was “euphoric” on being a Maple Leaf after the Arizona native seemed less than excited following the revelation that the Leafs would pick first. Matthews is the first American to be drafted first overall since Patrick Kane in 2007.
Red Wings Trade 1st Round Pick, Datysuk’s Contract To Arizona
The Red Wings finally rid themselves of Pavel Datsyuk‘s contract, packaging it with their 16th overall pick to Arizona for the Coyotes’ 20th overall pick, 53rd overall pick and forward Joe Vitale. With the trade, the Red Wings shed $6.38MM from the salary cap according to CapFriendly.
Datysuk’s contract was a point of contention for the Red Wings heading into the draft. The 37-year-old forward recently retired from the NHL and will be playing in Russia next season. But general manager Ken Holland pulled off what many believe to be an astoundingly fortuitous deal by only moving down four picks in draft to #20, grabbing the 53rd pick overall, and Vitale.
Speculation persists that Detroit will make a serious run at Steven Stamkos should he become a free agent. The Red Wings were also rumored to trade goalie Jimmy Howard‘s contract away, but one of their best chances was with Calgary, who made an earlier deal for St. Louis goalie Brian Elliott.
Flames Acquire Brian Elliott From Blues
7:19pm: The deal also includes a conditional third round pick in 2018. Elliott is entering the final year of a 3-year/$7.5MM contract.
7:13pm: CapFriendly shows that the Blues save $2.5MM from their cap next season by dealing Elliott. The Flames were linked all day with several goaltenders, including Detroit’s Jimmy Howard, Tampa Bay’s Ben Bishop, and Columbus’ Sergei Bobrovsky.
7:04pm: According to Darren Dreger, the Calgary Flames have acquired goalie Brian Elliott from the St. Louis Blues. Elliotte Friedman reports it’s for the 35th overall pick in the 2016 draft.
Canadiens Acquire Shaw, Draft Picks In Separate Deals
The Canadiens acquired forward Andrew Shaw from the Chicago Blackhawks for two second round picks (39th and 45th overall).
The move doesn’t come as a huge surprise as Shaw was apparently asking for $4.5MM and the Blackhawks didn’t have the salary cap room to add that as a deal. The Canadiens get a rugged, 20-goal scorer in Shaw while the Blackhawks get more cap relief and a couple high second round picks.
In another move, the Canadiens dealt Lars Eller to Washington for second round picks in 2017 and 2018.
Toronto Selects Auston Matthews With #1 Overall Pick
Out of the Arizona desert, Toronto may have found its hockey savior.
The Maple Leafs selected Arizona native Auston Matthews with the first overall pick of the 2016 NHL Draft. Matthews joins a team undergoing a major rebuilding process. But it’s an organization that has a vision that now includes the young American. The center spent last season with the Zurich Lions of the Swiss NLA, netting 46 points (24-22) in 36 games.
Matthews also saw success internationally in both the World Junior Championships last December and then again in the World Championships in May. Matthews helped the American squad walk away with a bronze medal at the World Juniors. PHR took a look at Matthews earlier in the week.
While the buzz isn’t as deafening as last year’s #1 pick Connor McDavid, Matthews has been compared to Chicago Blackhawks captain and franchise player Jonathan Toews. Lauded for his strong two-way game and calm demeanor, Matthews is also a story because he is from Arizona. Sarah McLellan wrote extensively about Matthews’ journey to the draft and growing up in the southwest as a budding hockey superstar–where the game hasn’t always seen great success.
Regardless, the addition of Matthews definitely helps the Maple Leafs arduous rebuilding process. Still searching for its first Stanley Cup since 1967, Toronto may have taken a giant step forward with Matthews now in the fold.
Snapshots: Shattenkirk, Nugent-Hopkins, Bobrovsky
As we inch closer to the 2016 NHL Draft, trade speculation continues. Here’s a quick look at what’s being said around the league.
- Michael Russo tweets that the Wild and Oilers might pair up on a deal. Russo speculates that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is the likely target for the Wild. David Staples writes that he’s not the biggest fan of this move. While it would yield Mathew Dumba or Jonas Brodin (or possibly both), Staples doesn’t believe it benefits the Oilers in terms of obtaining the puck moving defenseman they need.
- Jimmy Murphy tweets that Kevin Shattenkirk remains a very high priority for several teams. Murphy indicated that the Bruins first round selection (14th overall) might just do the trick. Murphy includes the Red Wings, Rangers, Canadiens, and Coyotes as other possibilities. Joe Haggerty believes the Bruins will ultimately end up with Shattenkirk.
- Kevin Allen writes more about Cam Fowler moving to another team. Allen lists the Red Wings, Canadiens, Bruins, and Sabres as possible landing points. Allen also reports that the Blue Jackets will listen to offers for their 3rd overall pick. Kevin McGran tweeted this as well, adding that Columbus is looking for a proven center.
- Aaron Portzline reports that the Blue Jackets may want to look at offloading goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. The $7.425MM cap hit would be tough to unload on another team without either a weaker return or a willingness to take on some of the salary. Portzline also listed the four goalies who are being shopped: Bobrovsky, Jimmy Howard, Ben Bishop, and Marc-Andre Fleury.
Lightning Re-Sign Brown, Paquette
The Tampa Bay Lightning have been busy leading up to the draft as they announced the signings of forwards J.T. Brown and Cedric Paquette.
Tampa re-signed Brown to a 2-year, $2.5MM contract. The deal will pay him $1.25MM and count against the cap at the same amount for both the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons. The contract is a one-way deal. The 25-year-old forward finished his third season with the Lightning and had 22 points (8-14) in 78 games. He had 2 points in 9 playoff games.
Paquette agreed to a 2-year/$1.625MM deal. Renaud Lavoie reported the salary as $800,000 in 2016-17, and $825,000 in 2017-18. CapFriendly has it as an $812,500 cap hit. Paquette had 11 points (6-5) in 56 games.