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.
Snapshots: Shaw, Fowler, Red Wings
Mark Lazerus tweets that the possibilities of the Blackhawks shuttling Marcus Kruger increase because Andrew Shaw may cost too much to keep both. Further, Shaw may price himself out of Chicago altogether. Lazerus believes that Kruger is tougher to replace than Shaw, but that losing either player hurts the Hawks’ depth. Lazerus indicated that Shaw may be looking for a deal in the neighborhood of $4.5MM, and it might be too rich for a Blackhawks team that just got out from under the Bryan Bickell deal. He also listed Florida as a possible destination for Shaw should the Hawks try to move him. Lazerus also penned a piece on how the Blackhawks current cap headache is a product of their own making.
Other news as the draft approaches:
- Helene St. James writes that the Red Wings should seriously consider Anaheim defenseman Cam Fowler. The 24-year-old defenseman has been linked with a number of teams, namely Buffalo. But the Wings, according to St. James, have the assets to pull off a deal should they dangle their 16th overall pick and possibly top prospect Anthony Mantha. St. James comments that while it would be a steep price, it’s one with tremendous upside as Fowler could become the top pairing defenseman the Red Wings have lacked since the retirement of Nicklas Lidstrom. Detroit also has a glut of younger scoring forwards in Gustav Nyquist, Tomas Tatar, and Dylan Larkin. Other top prospect Evgeny Svechnikov waits as another option for the Wings.
- In other Red Wings news, Brian Manzullo reports that prospect Vili Saarijarvi has been traded from the Flint Firebirds to the Mississauga Steelheads. The defenseman played last season with Flint, which included a tumultuous situation that included their coaching staff being fired twice, and the OHL stepping in to strip Rolf Nilsen of any control over hockey operations.
Wild To Buy Out Thomas Vanek
Per a tweet from Michael Russo, the Minnesota Wild will in fact buy out Thomas Vanek‘s contract. CapFriendly tweeted the financial implications, which would include a $1.5MM cap hit in 2016-2017, and a $2.5MM hit in 2017-2018. Russo also reported that the deal would save the Wild $5MM next season and gives them about $14MM in total cap space. TSN’s Bob McKenzie tweeted yesterday that a buyout was very possible.
Vanek’s numbers dipped a bit in the past season, getting 41 points (18-23) in 74 games. Vanek, once a two-time 40 goal scorer with Buffalo, has seen his production fall after signing a 3 year/$19.5MM deal with the Wild prior to the 2014-2015 season. Vanek was counted on to provide consistent goal scoring for Minnesota but only mustered 39 total goals in two seasons. The additional cap room will assist the Wild in trying to find someone to take the role Vanek was expected to fill.
Snapshots: Subban, Kulikov, Fowler, Shattenkirk
In advance of tonight’s first round of the draft, many prominent defensemen have seen their name involved in trade speculation in recent days. Here is the latest on who may or may not be on the move.
- P.K. Subban was in the spotlight yesterday as trade talks reportedly picked up. However, Pierre LeBrun of TSN/ESPN doesn’t believe that there’s a deal out there that the Canadiens are willing to make, at least at this time. Subban’s no-movement clause kicks in on July 1st and the speculation likely won’t entirely die down until then.
- The Florida Panthers are fielding plenty of offers for Dmitry Kulikov according to George Richards of the Miami Herald. He adds that picks and players are being discussed as a possible return. TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie adds that Boston is a team that continues to show interest in the 25 year old. Kulikov has one year left on his contract with a $4.33M cap hit. Richards also notes that the Panthers are also talking about an extension with Kulikov so a trade is far from certain. Adrian Dater of Bleacher Report suggests the Avalanche could be in the mix as well as they have been trying to get him for years.
- The Montreal Canadiens are another team showing interest in Ducks D Cam Fowler, reports TSN’s Darren Dreger. Last night, it was reported that Buffalo and Anaheim were also discussing Fowler, with talks expected to continue today.
- Kevin Shattenkirk’s name continues to come up. Lyle Richardson of The Hockey News notes that the Sabres, Bruins, Flyers, and Rangers have all shown interest. CSNNE’s Joe Haggerty adds that the expectation is that Shattenkirk would like to sign his next deal (which will begin in 2017-18) out East which could potentially impact his market. Jimmy Murphy of DW Sports Boston adds the Canadiens and Capitals to the list of interested teams. One team that has apparently dropped out of the race is the Coyotes who, according to Craig Morgan of Arizona Sports, have turned their attention elsewhere.
Draft Day Snapshots: Blue Jackets, Predators, Wild, Jets
The 2016 NHL Entry Draft gets underway tonight and one of the top picks appears to be in play. Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch spoke with Columbus GM Jarmo Kekalainen who noted that the team has received at least ten offers for the third overall pick.
Kekalainen is telling teams that he is willing to move the pick but would not slide out of the top ten in any trade. He also has informed them that no trade would be made until they’re on the draft floor after the top two selections are made.
Other draft day rumblings:
- The Nashville Predators could be targeting a defenseman with their first pick in the draft (17th overall), writes Adam Vingan of The Tennessean. While the team does have several strong blueliners already, they did move Seth Jones to Columbus midseason and they have only picked one defender with a first round pick in the last five years. In the same piece, GM David Poile acknowledged that he doesn’t have much interest in moving up or down from pick 17.
- Minnesota holds just two picks in the first six rounds which could make it difficult for the Wild to move up, writes The Star Tribune’s Michael Russo. GM Chuck Fletcher wouldn’t be opposed to trading down from their 15th overall selection to acquire more picks but only if there are a number of players left on their draft board at that time.
- The Winnipeg Jets have put the 22nd overall pick in play, ESPN’s Craig Custance reports. The Jets acquired the selection prior to the trade deadline as part of the Andrew Ladd to Chicago deal. Winnipeg is believed to be seeking a left shot defenseman and a top nine forward.