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Trade Candidate: Jimmy Howard

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With the trade deadline quickly approaching, we will be profiling several players in the weeks ahead that are likely to be dealt by March 1st.

Another trade candidate, another Red Wing. This time, we’ll look at veteran netminder Jimmy Howard, who has been the subject of trade rumors since last summer.

Contract

Six-year, $31.750MM deal. Three years remaining. $5.291MM AAV.

2016-17

In a season where the Red Wings have struggled tremendously, Howard has been the antidote to a team hemorrhaging goals. While Petr Mrazek was expected to be the stalwart in net, it’s been Howard and rookie Jared Coreau picking up the slack for Detroit. Howard, however, has succumbed to injury twice this season, but is close to coming back. The real question is which Howard will return? The dominant one? Or the Howard of seasons past, who has struggled to find his groove following injury?

Season Stats

GP: 17 (15 started): 5-7-1; .934 sv%; 1.96 GAA; .667 QS%

Potential Suitors

When healthy, Howard has been extremely good for the Red Wings. This season alone, on a team that is dreadful at both ends of the ice, Howard has stolen games while keeping the Wings in games they should have been out of early.

Dallas is one team to look at, especially since former Detroit assistant general manager Jim Nill is there. Though the Stars are trying to figure out what they are, Howard could be an asset with two years remaining and numbers that are certainly better than that of what the Stars currenly have in Antti Niemi and Kari Lehtonen. But outside of familiarity, there are few teams on the radar.

While Howard could fetch offers, there is one key reason he will scare off potential buyers.

Likelihood Of A Trade

Howard’s contract is a hinderance to any team interested. Still locked in for two seasons with over $10MM owed, few teams are going to bite on a deal that involves a strong performing, but injury prone goalie. While Howard’s name has been mentioned before, the Wings couldn’t peddle him elsewhere last summer.  There are also rumblings that Detroit could be growing impatient with Mrazek, and may dangle Mrazek as trade bait. But that could be speculation in a season that has been disastrous for a franchise not used to losing as often–and as badly–as they have been.

Nashville Interested In Matt Duchene

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ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun reported today (video link) that the Nashville Predators have expressed interest in the Colorado Avalanche’s Matt Duchene. The Denver center stated publicly that he is open to a trade, but has not formally asked for one.

Colorado’s reported asking price for Duchene is steep. The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch reported that Colorado is asking for a 1st round pick, a top-four defenseman, and a top prospect. Now, just because Colorado opens with that ask doesn’t mean it won’t budge on the price if there’s a deal to be had. The Avalanche, however, are under no pressure to trade Duchene, and will only do so to kickstart a rebuild or address glaring holes. The Avalanche desperately need help on the back end, and will focus in on acquiring a above-average defender.

Using Garrioch’s report as a template, the Predators may actually have the pieces to get a deal done without hamstringing its future. Goaltending prospect Juuse Saros is stuck behind Pekka Rinne for the next two seasons, and the Predators have maintained their stellar defensive depth. It’s a big price to pay for Duchene, but the Predators have to somehow overcome the highly competitive Central Division to take the next step.

Predators GM David Poile is no stranger to big trades. In the last two years he traded Seth Jones for Ryan Johansen, and then fan favorite Shea Weber for P.K. Subban. Could a trade for Duchene complete the trifecta?

Snapshots: Letang, Carlson, NHL

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News and notes from around the NHL this evening:

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins activated defenseman Kris Letang off of Injured Reserve today. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter Jason Mackey tweeted that Letang was on the ice for the Penguins warmup skate before tonights game against the Nashville Predators. Letang suffered a lower-body injury January 14th against the Detroit Red Wings, and has been out ever since. The Penguins did not struggle without him, but adding Letang back into the mix should propel the Penguins higher atop the Metropolitan Division.
  • The Penguins aren’t the only Metropolitan team getting their defenseman back. The Washington Capitals welcome John Carlson back to the ice after the young defenseman missed the last two weeks. Carlson suffered a lower body injury against the Philadelphia Flyers on January 15. Carlson has 5G and 20A in 43 games so far for the Capitals and the leads all Capitals skaters in average ice time.
  • TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that the NHL plans to have two regular season games in Sweden next season, pending NHLPA approval. Dreger says that the Ottawa Senators and Colorado Avalanche will likely play each other in two games in November. Both teams have Swedish captains: Erik Karlsson for Ottawa and Gabriel Landeskog for Colorado. It is unclear whether both games will take place in one city or divided amongst two.

Snapshots: Vegas, Klefbom, Calgary Goalies, Red Wings

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Assuming owner Bill Foley’s final expansion payment goes through as expected by early March, the Vegas Golden Knights will be able to make trades right away.  As Puck Daddy’s Greg Wyshynski points out though, there will be some restrictions early on.

GM George McPhee will not able to acquire any active player off an NHL roster.  However, he can still trade for draft picks, unsigned prospects, plus make any agreements pertaining to the expansion draft.  They’ll also be allowed to sign college free agents and it wouldn’t be surprising to see them active in that market early on.

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly also told Wyshynski that while the name Golden Knights is currently under scrutiny in terms of a potential trademarking issue, the name won’t be changed although the process of getting that resolved is likely to take some time.

More news and notes from around the NHL:

  • It’s rare for an everyday player to have not taken a single penalty by this point of the season. It’s even rarer for a defenseman to be in that situation but as Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Sun notes, that is the case for Oilers blueliner Oscar Klefbom, who has to be whistled for a penalty through 51 games.  Head coach Todd McLellan attributes Klefbom’s high-end skating as a big reason for him being able to stay out of the box.  This isn’t just a one-time fluke either; Klefbom had only recorded ten penalty minutes in 107 games heading into this season.  His last penalty came back on November 18, 2015, a hooking minor against Columbus.
  • The Flames plan to employ a ‘win and you’re in’ strategy when it comes to their goaltending for the foreseeable future, reports Wes Gilbertson of the Calgary Sun. Brian Elliott and Chad Johnson have been consistently inconsistent for most of the season and as a result, Calgary finds themselves in a tight battle for a Wild Card spot in the West.  Elliott, having picked up a win in their last game before the break, will get the nod against the Wild tonight.
  • If the Red Wings are going to make a real run at extending their 25 year playoff streak, it will have to be on the back of their power play, Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News suggests. Detroit finds themselves with the worst man advantage in the league coming out of the break with a success rate of just 11.1%, a number that drops to just 5.7% on the road.

Injury Updates: Avalanche, Malkin, Ducks, Devils, Hansen

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The Colorado Avalanche are set to get a boost to their lineup tonight in Anaheim as they have activated defenseman Tyson Barrie and winger Rene Bourque off of injured reserve, reports Mike Chambers of the Denver Post (Twitter link).

Barrie missed the last four games due to a lingering lower body issue.  He leads all Avalanche blueliners in scoring with 23 points (3-20-23), a mark that puts him third on the team overall.  On the flip side, his -23 rating is tied with New Jersey defenseman Damon Severson for last in the league.

As for Bourque, he has made the most of his successful training camp tryout, scoring nine goals for the Avs this season which is tied for the third most on the team.  He had missed the last three contests with a lower body injury and if he can stay healthy over the next month, he’s a potential candidate to be dealt given his low cap hit of $650K.

Other injury news and notes from around the league:

  • While Pittsburgh center Evgeni Malkin won’t play tonight against the Predators, head coach Mike Sullivan told Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he is making “significant progress” from a leg injury that caused him to miss their last game before the All-Star break as well as the All-Star Game itself.  There is no firm timetable for his return but the fact he skated before practice would suggest that Malkin, who sits third overall in NHL scoring with 54 points (22-32-54) in 47 games, is nearing a return.
  • The Ducks will also have some reinforcements tonight against the Avalanche as they will have center Nate Thompson and right winger Jakob Silfverberg back in their lineup, notes Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register (Twitter link). Thompson has missed the entire season after tearing his Achilles’ tendon during the offseason although he got into three AHL games on a rehab stint last week.  Silfverberg missed the last three contests with a head injury and is tied for fourth in team scoring this season.
  • New Jersey blueliner Andy Greene is targeting Friday’s game against the Flames as a return date from his arm injury, writes Fire and Ice’s Andrew Gross. He took part in the full morning skate today but isn’t quite ready to suit up tonight.  Greene has missed the last 11 games as a result of the injury.  Gross adds that winger Beau Bennett (lower body) skated on his own the last two days while blueliner John Moore (concussion) has undergone testing the last couple of days but hopes to skate on his own as soon as tomorrow.
  • Via the Canucks’ Twitter feed, right winger Jannik Hansen isn’t likely to play on Thursday against the Sharks but is getting closer to returning to the lineup. He has been out since late December after suffering a knee injury.  Hansen hasn’t played a whole lot this season but has made an impact when he has been healthy, collecting nine points (5-4-9) in 18 games.

Trade Candidate: Michael Del Zotto

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With the trade deadline quickly approaching, we will be profiling several players in the weeks ahead that are likely to be dealt by March 1st.

Coming off an injury-plagued 2015-16 season, Flyers defenseman Michael Del Zotto was looking to not only stay healthy but show more offensive consistency as he headed into the walk year of his contract.  Neither of those have happened which is why he’s a candidate to be traded by the deadline even though Philadelphia currently finds themselves in a playoff spot.

Contract

One year, $3.875MM cap hit, $4MM salary – Will be a UFA in July.

2016-17

Nov 5, 2015; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Michael Del Zotto (15) controls the puck against the Calgary Flames during the third period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Calgary Flames won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY SportsThings couldn’t have gotten off to much worse of a start for Del Zotto who suffered a lower body injury late in training camp that resulted in him being placed on LTIR to start the season, where he missed 12 games.  Once he returned to the lineup, he made an early strong impression at the offensive end, picking up nine points in his first 15 games.

Unfortunately for him and the Flyers, it hasn’t been anywhere near as rosy since then.  In his last 15 outings, he has just a single assist and has spent time as a healthy scratch while the team has floundered in the standings.

Overall, his role has decreased compared to last year as well.  He’s averaging nearly four minutes less per game and instead of being a top pairing player regularly, he has spent a lot of time on the third pairing.

Season Stats

30 GP, 4 goals, 6 assists, 10 points, -10 rating, 16 PIMS, 19:35 ATOI, 49.2 CF%

Potential Suitors

Although Del Zotto is not having a great season, there should still be several teams with some interest in him as quality puck moving blueliners are typically something a lot of squads will be looking to add for a stretch run.  That said, his play will have those teams viewing him as more of a depth option than a sure fire top four player.

The Senators are a team that could have a use for the 26 year old in a third pairing spot and they do have the cap space to make a move.  However, they are one of the lower spending teams by design and may not have the budgetary space to take on his salary.  Columbus may also be a team that could have some interest as they don’t have the deepest back and head coach John Tortorella doesn’t play his bottom pairing blueliners too much; adding someone like Del Zotto who can eat some minutes while lengthening out their back end would be a prudent move.  They also have the cap space to take him on.

Out West, Chicago has a definite need to add defensive depth but their cap situation would make a trade a considerable challenge.  If St. Louis decides to move out pending UFA Kevin Shattenkirk for help up front or in goal, they could be a potential dark horse candidate as well as there are some similar characteristics between the two; he would give them a mobile replacement that can take a shift on the power play as well.

Likelihood Of A Trade

A lot will be determined by how the Flyers fare in the next month.  If they remain firmly in the playoff hunt, they may opt to hold onto Del Zotto.  It doesn’t seem likely at this point that he will be back with the team given his struggles this season so they could opt to move him anyways to ensure they get something now rather than lose him for nothing in July.  If Philly drops out of the playoff picture though, he becomes a player that would be very likely to move.

Minor Transactions: 1/31/17

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Here is where we’ll keep track of today’s minor roster moves:

  • After clearing waivers, the Canadiens assigned defenseman Zach Redmond to St. John’s of the AHL, notes TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie via Twitter. He has played in 16 games with Montreal this year, posting five assists while averaging 12:19 of ice time per night.  He also got into a pair of games with St. John’s on a conditioning assignment from an early season foot injury and was held off the scoresheet.
  • The Panthers announced (Twitter link) that they recalled goalie Sam Brittain from Manchester of the ECHL. He was expected to back up Roberto Luongo tonight as Florida takes on Ottawa as James Reimer was with his wife who gave birth earlier today.  However, he has returned to the team and Florida has subsequently returned (Twitter link) Brittain to Manchester.  Brittain has played in 26 games with the Monarchs, posting a 2.96 GAA and a .902 SV%.
  • As expected, the Red Wings announced that they have assigned left winger Drew Miller to Grand Rapids of the AHL, freeing up the roster spot to allow them to activate center Dylan Larkin off of injured reserve. As Miller hadn’t been up with Detroit for 30 days since clearing waivers earlier this month, they were able to send him down without requesting waivers on him once again.  Miller has played in 35 games with the Wings this season, recording six points (5-1-6).
  • Via a team release, the Predators have activated blueliner Petter Granberg off IR and have assigned him to AHL Milwaukee. Granberg missed the past six games with an unspecified injury in his first game after being recalled.  Similar to Miller, the defenseman cleared waivers earlier this month and hadn’t been on Nashville’s roster long enough to be waived again.  Granberg has played in ten games for the Preds this season, being held scoreless while averaging just shy of ten minutes per night in ice time.
  • The Sharks have recalled defenseman Tim Heed from the AHL Barracuda according to the AHL’s Transactions page. It’s the sixth separate time this month he has been recalled as he has been brought up and sent down frequently in an effort to save up as much cap space as possible.  Heed has seen action in just one NHL game this year but has put up better than a point per game at the minor league level, tallying 11 goals and 25 assists in 33 AHL contests.

Lightning Willing To Trade Ben Bishop

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While it remains to be seen if the Tampa Bay Lightning decide to buy, sell, or stand pat between now and the March 1st trade deadline, the team could be planning to move goaltender Ben Bishop regardless of what route they choose to go.  Speaking with Sportsnet 960 in Calgary (audio link), Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman suggests that they are ready to move him but haven’t received the right offer yet (transcription via Fan Rag’s Chris Nichols):

“The name I’m hearing the most now is Ben Bishop. I don’t know what’s going to happen there, but I have a feeling that Tampa is ready to send him somewhere else and give Vasilevskiy the net. I think there are teams out there thinking that Ben Bishop rejuvenated can make a difference. I think the biggest issue is going to be what’s the price. I think Tampa would like to get better offers than they’re getting.”

It has long been expected that this would be Bishop’s final year with the Lightning after the team gave Andrei Vasilevskiy a three year extension back in July.  Considering that they have forwards Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat, and Jonathan Drouin (among others) to re-sign, they wouldn’t be able to afford to have both goaltenders making big money.

The thought was that GM Steve Yzerman would be content with keeping both goalies this season to ensure they’d have high-level goaltending on a nightly basis but the play of both netminders appears to have thrown a wrench into that plan.  Bishop has posted a 2.78 GAA and a .905 SV% this season, well below his career numbers.  As Friedman noted though, some teams believe a new environment will get him playing more like his usual self.

In his latest column, ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun also believes that Yzerman would be willing to move Bishop but that the goalie market is quite slow at the moment.  This isn’t a typical year for shopping starter-quality netminders as Marc-Andre Fleury is likely available out of Pittsburgh given their expansion draft situation while Jaroslav Halak is readily available as well.  It’s also quite likely that the Stars would be willing to part with at least one of Antti Niemi or Kari Lehtonen in the right situation.

It’s worth noting that unlike all of those other goaltenders, Bishop is a pending unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.  If a team is just looking for some short-term help without any sort of long-term commitment, that would push Bishop to the front of the line.  However, with a $5.95MM cap hit, the Lightning would most likely have to take back some salary as well in the deal, either by acquiring a sizable contract or by retaining salary.

LeBrun adds that while some have suggested a swap of pending UFAs that would see Kevin Shattenkirk go from St. Louis to Tampa Bay, the Blues still have confidence in Jake Allen and haven’t indicated yet that they’re looking for an upgrade between the pipes.

Lots can change in the next month but it appears that Bishop will be a player to keep a close eye on as the trade deadline approaches.

Submit Your Questions For The Pro Hockey Rumors Mailbag

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Do you have a question regarding trades with the deadline fast approaching, the salary cap, the draft, or the top storylines around the hockey world?  Send us your questions for the next PHR Mailbag.  You can submit your questions on Twitter using the hashtag #PHRMailbag or by using the comment feature below.

Be sure to check back on Thursday when our mailbag is posted.

If you’d like to read our last mailbag column, you can do so here.

Panthers Waive Paul Thompson And Dylan McIlrath

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The Florida Panthers will be changing up their roster coming out of the All-Star break as the team has waived right winger Paul Thompson and defenseman Dylan McIlrath, Harvey Fialkov of the Sun Sentinel reports (Twitter link).

The 28 year old Thompson was acquired from New Jersey last offseason as part of the deal that saw the Panthers unload Marc Savard’s contract.  He has played in 21 games for Florida this season, recording three assists, 22 penalty minutes, and a -4 rating while averaging just 7:54 per night.  He is earning $575K at the NHL level and $225K in the AHL and is in the final year of a two year deal signed back in July of 2015.  He will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

As for McIlrath, Florida acquired him back in November from the Rangers in exchange for blueliner Steven Kampfer and a 2018 7th round pick.  He has played in just five games with the Panthers since then, picking up a goal and ten penalty minutes while playing only 9:34 per contests.  This marks the second time he has been waived this season as New York waived him back in October where he passed through unclaimed.

The former 2010 first rounder (tenth overall) also has seen action in six AHL contests with Florida’s AHL affiliate in Springfield, recording two points (1-1-2) and 13 penalty minutes.  He carries a salary and cap hit of $800K this season and will be a restricted free agent afterwards.

[Related: Panthers Depth Chart]

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