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Archives for January 2018

Minor Transactions: 01/11/18

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Another slow night in the NHL this Thursday as only three games are on the schedule, but as we saw with the Anthony Duclair trade yesterday a move can come at any time. We’ll keep track of all the minor comings and goings around the league right here. Make sure to refresh throughout the day to keep track of your favorite team.

Atlantic Notes: Bruins, Mittelstadt, Josefson, Zaitsev

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As the Bruins continue to work their way up in the Atlantic Division, they’re looking to add a top-six center or a top-four defenseman, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on an NHL Network appearance (video link).  However, they are telling teams that they are unwilling to move their top prospects in any deal.  That will take away several of their top trade chips although they could conceivably still move future draft picks to get a deal done.  Given GM Don Sweeney’s patience for building the team up slowly but steadily though, it be may be more prudent to expect a smaller deal, similar to their acquisition of Drew Stafford at the deadline last year, over a bigger one.

More from the Atlantic:

  • The Sabres will speak to top prospect Casey Mittelstadt following his college season to see if it’s the right time for him to turn pro and sign his entry-level deal, notes John Wawrow of the Associated Press. The 2017 eighth overall pick is coming off a stellar World Junior tournament that saw him tie for the overall lead in scoring and has some wondering if he may be NHL ready sooner than later.  While they will meet in the coming months, GM Jason Botterill suggested to Wawrow that it may be a while yet before he finds himself lining up alongside Jack Eichel, perhaps a sign that he would like to see Mittelstadt wait a little longer before signing.
  • Still with Buffalo, head coach Phil Housley told Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald that center Jacob Josefson has been listed as day-to-day with a lower-body issue. The injury was sustained while blocking a shot on Tuesday night against the Jets.  The 26-year-old hasn’t thrived in his first season with the Sabres, collecting just four points in 19 games while spending considerable time out of the lineup due to ankle issues.
  • Maple Leafs defenseman Nikita Zaitsev is still another two-to-three weeks away from returning, reports TSN’s Darren Dreger (Twitter link). That puts him a little behind his last projected return date which was January 16th, their first game back following their bye week.  Zaitsev quietly leads all Toronto blueliners in ice time per game, averaging just under 23 minutes per night and will give them a big boost once he gets the green light to return.

Flames Have Shown Interest In Zack Smith

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With the Senators struggling mightily this season, it has been expected that they will be sellers in the weeks to come.  One player that has been suggested as a candidate to be dealt is center Zack Smith and Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that Calgary is believed to have shown an interest in his services.

Smith is in the first year of a four-year, $13MM contract he signed last January, foregoing unrestricted free agency in the process.  At the time, he was in the midst of his second straight season with at least 15 goals and 30 points and was providing Ottawa with strong secondary scoring along with his usual gritty style of play.

Mar 28, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators center Zack Smith (15) warms up before playing against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY SportsThings haven’t gone as well for the 29-year-old this season, however.  Smith has battled injury issues, missing time with three separate problems (upper-body, thumb, and shoulder) and when he has been in the lineup, he hasn’t been as productive as he has in recent seasons.  Through 27 games, he has just three goals and six assists despite logging over 16 minutes of ice time per night.

It’s understandable that Calgary would have interest in adding some help down the middle.  Sam Bennett has played well since moving to the wing while there is some uncertainty regarding the future of pending UFA pivot Mikael Backlund.  Matt Stajan, their fourth line center, is also set to be an unrestricted free agent as well so landing someone with several years of team control would make some sense.  Smith’s physicality would also fit in well in the tougher Western Conference.  It’s worth noting that he has a ten-team no-trade clause and it’s not known at this time if the Flames are on that list or not.

Considering his struggles this season, whoever acquires Smith would be taking a bit of a risk that a change of scenery helps get him back to the level he has played over the past couple seasons because if not, he will be an expensive depth player.  However, it’s fair to infer that Ottawa’s asking price can’t be too high given Smith’s struggles so while there is a bit of risk, there is certainly the potential for a higher reward as well if he returns to his 2015-16/2016-17 form.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Penguins Notes: Trade Challenges, Hornqvist, Hagelin

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While it has been reported over the past several weeks that the Penguins have been aggressive in talking trades and that they could try to do something sooner than later, GM Jim Rutherford acknowledged to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that making further changes may not be what the team actually needs at the moment:

“Some of the things that I see, I don’t believe changing player personnel is going to do it. As a group, we have to be more consistent and do what we do best.”

Mackey notes a couple of factors that could work against the Penguins in any trade discussions.  For starters, they have limited trade chips aside from defenseman Ian Cole.  They’re not likely to be willing to part with their pending unrestricted free agents and while they’d likely want to move Carl Hagelin’s contract ($4MM through 2018-19), they’re going to have a hard time finding some takers.  Prospect Daniel Sprong will certainly garner interest but considering how he has fared since being recalled, they’re going to want to hold onto him as well.

The other issue at play will be the salary cap.  As is the case with a lot of contenders, their room to work with is limited; per CapFriendly, they can add a player making just over $2.3MM but that’s only if they wait until trade deadline day to make that move.  Most impact players make considerably more which means that Rutherford may need to be creative if he wants to add someone of consequence to the roster.  Otherwise, they will have to try to turn things around with the personnel they have.

More from Pittsburgh:

  • Also from Mackey’s column, Rutherford confirmed that there “hasn’t been any movement” when it comes to contract extension discussions for winger Patric Hornqvist. The 31-year-old is on pace for his fifth straight 20-goal season which should have him positioned for a raise on his current $4.25MM cap hit.  With more than $60MM committed to 13 players for next season already, the Pens will be in tough to commit to another big-ticket deal without clearing some money off the books for next season.
  • Hagelin finds himself with just seven points (2-5-7) through 43 games, well below his career averages. Jonathan Bombulie of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review speculates that fatigue could be a factor as he has played the fourth most games of any player (regular season and playoffs) over the past six seasons.  For his part, Hagelin doesn’t want to use fatigue as a reason for his struggles but has admitted that he has lacked energy at times this year.  It will be interesting to see if Pittsburgh rests him a bit in the second half hoping that doing so will get him going a bit more.

Zach Bogosian Out Four-To-Six Weeks

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The 2017-18 season just went from bad to worse for Sabres defenseman Zach Bogosian.  After suffering a lower-body injury in practice earlier today, TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports (Twitter link) that the injury (which is believed to be an ankle issue) will keep him out of the Buffalo lineup for the next four-to-six weeks.

This is the second major injury that Bogosian has suffered this year.  He also missed the opening 25 games of the season with a lower-body issue sustained during the preseason.  As a result, he has played in just 18 games so far, where he has struggled.  He’s averaging his lowest ice time since his rookie campaign back in 2008-09 with Atlanta while being a non-factor at the offensive end with just a single assist.

The 27-year-old has two years remaining on his contract after this one with a cap hit just over $5.14MM.  This injury all but kills the already-remote possibility of the Sabres finding a taker for him before the February 26th trade deadline.

At this point, it’s fair to wonder if Buffalo may consider the possibility of buying Bogosian out at the end of the season, assuming he doesn’t have a resurgent final two months once he returns.  The cost of doing so would result in a cap hit of just over $1.14MM for two years and then $2MM in both 2020-21 and 2021-22.

Chicago Blackhawks Acquire Anthony Duclair

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The Chicago Blackhawks have acquired Anthony Duclair and Adam Clendening from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for Richard Panik and Laurent Dauphin. Dauphin returns to the Coyotes after being part of the package sent last offseason for Niklas Hjalmarsson. No salary has been retained by either side.

"<strongDuclair, 22, was reported to have asked for a trade during what has become another disappointing season. While he’s already matched his point total from last year, Duclair hasn’t been able to show the consistent offense that got him to a career-high 44 points in 2015-16. That 20-goal campaign was a breakout for the young winger, after a trade from New York brought him to the desert.

Last offseason, the Coyotes seemingly made several moves to try and bring immediate success to the franchise, acquiring players like Hjalmarsson, Derek Stepan, Antti Raanta and Jason Demers to help Oliver Ekman-Larsson and company make a push for the playoffs. It hasn’t worked out that way, with Arizona still languishing in last place in the NHL and perhaps now the attention will return to their original rebuild plan. Though Duclair is certainly not a past-his-prime asset, he is a pending restricted free agent who could file for arbitration, and would require a $1.2MM qualifying offer to retain his rights.

The Blackhawks on the other hand are in search of help both this year and in the near future. The club has struggled this season, but is still all-in salary wise with their core group of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook. The latter of which was a healthy scratch recently, but will be back in the lineup for Chicago tonight as the dress seven defensemen in Panik’s absence.

Panik himself is part of that salary problem, after he was signed to a two-year $5.6MM contract this summer. His play has dropped off a cliff this season, recording just 16 points in 37 games and seeing his role alongside Toews disappear. Though he’s proven himself to be an NHL talent after bouncing around the league in the early part of his career, the Blackhawks can’t afford to spend close to $3MM on a player that isn’t producing as planned.

Dauphin, 22, will return to the place he made his NHL debut and try to prove once again why the team spent the 39th-overall pick on him in 2013. Obviously Coyotes’ GM John Chayka was loathe to lose him in the first place, and he gives this deal a spark of upside for the club. While he hasn’t shown a ton in his short time in the NHL, he does still have potential to be a contributing center that can provide some speed and size to the bottom-six of a lineup.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was first to report the deal was close, while Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported the final details. 

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Snapshots: Sbisa, Wennberg, Bonuses

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Luca Sbisa hasn’t had a very comfortable season in Vegas so far, suffering several injuries and only suiting up for 24 games. It doesn’t look like it’ll turn around anytime soon, as the defenseman has ruptured a ligament in his hand according to Swiss Hockey News and will be out six to eight weeks.

When healthy, Sbisa has been an effective defenseman for the Golden Knights, using his speed and mobility as a two-way option for the club. With 10 points in those 24 games, he’d almost already matched the 13 points he recorded last season in Vancouver, when he played in all 82 contests.

2018 All-Star Rosters

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The NHL released the rosters for this year’s All-Star game in Tampa Bay, leading to an inevitable onslaught of discussion over who missed out and who didn’t deserve to go. The event will take place on January 27-28th. The full rosters can be found below:

Atlantic Division:

F Steven Stamkos – Tampa Bay Lightning (captain)
F Nikita Kucherov – Tampa Bay Lightning
F Auston Matthews – Toronto Maple Leafs
F Aleksander Barkov – Florida Panthers
F Brad Marchand – Boston Bruins
F Jack Eichel – Buffalo Sabres
D Victor Hedman – Tampa Bay Lightning
D Erik Karlsson – Ottawa Senators
D Mike Green – Detroit Red Wings
G Andrei Vasilevskiy – Tampa Bay Lightning
G Carey Price – Montreal Canadiens

Head Coach: Jon Cooper

Metropolitan Division:

F Alex Ovechkin – Washington Capitals (captain)
F Taylor Hall – New Jersey Devils
F Sidney Crosby – Pittsburgh Penguins
F Josh Bailey – New York Islanders
F John Tavares – New York Islanders
F Claude Giroux – Philadelphia Flyers
D Seth Jones – Columbus Blue Jackets
D Noah Hanifin – Carolina Hurricanes
D Kris Letang – Pittsburgh Penguins
G Henrik Lundqvist – New York Rangers
G Braden Holtby – Washington Capitals

Head Coach: Barry Trotz

Central Division:

F Patrick Kane – Chicago Blackhawks
F Nathan MacKinnon – Colorado Avalanche
F Blake Wheeler – Winnipeg Jets
F Brayden Schenn – St. Louis Blues
F Eric Staal – Minnesota Wild
F Tyler Seguin – Dallas Stars
D P.K. Subban – Nashville Predators (captain)
D Alex Pietrangelo – St. Louis Blues
D John Klingberg – Dallas Stars
G Pekka Rinne – Nashville Predators
G Connor Hellebuyck – Winnipeg Jets

Head Coach: Peter Laviolette

Pacific Division:

F Connor McDavid – Edmonton Oilers (captain)
F Johnny Gaudreau – Calgary Flames
F Brock Boeser – Vancouver Canucks
F James Neal – Vegas Golden Knights
F Rickard Rakell – Anaheim Ducks
F Anze Kopitar – Los Angeles Kings
D Drew Doughty – Los Angeles Kings
D Brent Burns – San Jose Sharks
D Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Arizona Coyotes
G Jonathan Quick – Los Angeles Kings
G Marc-Andre Fleury – Vegas Golden Knights

Head Coach: Gerard Gallant

Cale Makar Turns Down Olympic Offer

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Since his explosive performance at the World Junior Championships as a powerplay quarterback and dynamic offensive presence, Colorado Avalanche prospect Cale Makar’s name has been thrown around as a potential option for the Canadian Olympic team. According to Darren Dreger of TSN, Makar did in fact get an invitation to the team but has “respectfully declined.”

Cale MakarThis option has also been mentioned recently, as Makar already took time off from his freshman year at UMass-Amherst and wanted to get back to his development path for the NHL. The fourth-overall selection in last year’s draft, Makar had already said he was unlikely to stay in the NCAA for more than “one or two years” meaning the next few months could be his only time spent outside the professional ranks. With his performance so far this year the Avalanche must already be counting the days until he gets into their system, and he could even play a role for them down the stretch this season.

None of that is to say that the Olympics would prevent him from turning pro this season. But if Makar believes his long-term future would be adversely affected by another stint away from his college team (and studies, for that matter) this decision is understandable, if a little surprising. He’ll almost undoubtedly play more important minutes with his college team than what he would be asked to do for Team Canada.

The Canadian squad will have to go without his dynamic playmaking, and according to Dreger likely won’t have the speed of Jordan Kyrou either. Dreger reports that no CHL players are expected to be named as of right now. Victor Mete, another potential option, is still with Montreal following his World Junior stint and could be in the NHL the remainder of the season.

Vancouver Canucks Not Worried About Signing Adam Gaudette

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In the next few months, we’ll start to hear more and more about the impressive prospects playing at the NCAA level and whether they’ll be turning to the professional ranks. The National Championship game will be held on April 7th, marking the last game many draft picks will play in college.

The Vancouver Canucks are keeping a close eye on one collegiate player in particular, and their director of amateur scouting Judd Brackett joined Sportsnet radio earlier today to speak about Adam Gaudette. Gaudette, 21, has been tearing up the NCAA since he debuted for Northeastern University in 2015, and has 30 points in just 20 games this season. This is his third year in school, and he’ll have a chance to sign with the Canucks or go back to finish his NCAA career in 2018-19. When asked about the chances the Canucks sign him this spring, Brackett seemed very positive:

[Gaudette’s] very excited about beginning a pro career. I think that’s a safe bet, but you know, other things have happened before. I think Adam is excited to become a Canuck.

Drafted in the fifth round in 2015, Gaudette transitioned beautifully from the USHL to college, scoring 30 points as a freshman and showing that his all-around game could hold up against players several years older than him. Now an alternate captain for Northeastern, the forward can make creative plays in the offensive zone and is responsible in his own end.

Vancouver knows first hand what kind of talent the NCAA has, as they watched Brock Boeser jump from the University of North Dakota to scoring his first NHL goal in less than 24 hours last spring. Though Gaudette isn’t expected to make the same kind of impact at the professional level, he’s certainly done everything right in his development to this point. An entry-level contract is likely waiting for him when his season is over.

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