With the trade deadline now just six weeks away, we’re starting to see a bit more roster movement. Those moves are among the five key stories for the week that was.
1) Toronto Changes Backups – With Toronto not wanting to have youngster Antoine Bibeau as their second goalie, they claimed veteran netminder Curtis McElhinney off waivers from Columbus (and subsequently sent Bibeau to the AHL). Their backup goaltender to start the season, Jhonas Enroth (who cleared waivers earlier this season), was then dealt to Anaheim for a 2018 seventh round draft choice.
2) Predators Acquire McLeod – Nashville added some grit to their lineup, acquiring winger Cody McLeod from Colorado in exchange for prospect center Felix Girard. The Avs are retaining 40% of McLeod’s $1.33MM cap hit on their books for this season and next. Coincidentally, McLeod’s first game in a Predators uniform was against Colorado and he made an early impression, scoring against his former team.
3) All-Star Rosters Announced – The league named the full rosters for the upcoming All-Star Game later this month in Los Angeles. All 30 teams have at least one representative while Chicago leads the way with four. Interestingly enough, one of those picks, center Jonathan Toews, admitted that he was a bit confused by his nomination, arguing that some of his teammates were much more deserving of the spot.
4) Wickenheiser Retires – One of the pioneers in women’s hockey hung up her skates as Hayley Wickenheiser retired at the age of 38. A five time medallist at the Olympic level with nine more medals at the World Championships, she also was the first female to play men’s professional hockey, spending time both in Finland and in Sweden.
5) Prospects On The Move – The CHL’s trade deadline came and went and several notable NHL prospects will be finishing their junior seasons elsewhere. Among the players moved were Jeremy Bracco (Toronto), Mitchell Stephens and Anthony Cirelli (Tampa Bay), as well as Mitchell Vande Sompel (NY Islanders). While the trades don’t affect their NHL rights, it likely means that they will be playing much deeper into the postseason.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
I`m interested to see how McLeod will show himself in a new team. I`ve been looking for this players` games for quite some time to tell Predators spend money in a good way.