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Archives for January 2018

Methot, Hanzal Return To Dallas Lineup

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Like many other teams in 2017-18, the Dallas Stars have struggled with injuries early on this season. The team has lost 55 man-game thus far, and while the total is not overwhelming, 37 of those games are due to the condition of two players. That pair is defenseman Marc Methot and center Martin Hanzal, both off-season additions to the Stars. Methot and Hanzal were expected to be a major reason for the predicted bounce-back season for Dallas, a team who many felt “won the off-season”. Yet, the duo have played in just one game together since October and the Stars have underwhelmed thus far without them.

That will all change starting tonight, as the Stars reported the return of Methot and Hanzal, calling the team “as healthy as it’s been”. Both players are expected to be back at full health and ready to contribute to their full extent. Methot, who was acquired via trade from the Vegas Golden Knights after his selection in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft from the Ottawa Senators, has missed the last 24 games with a knee injury. Methot is not an offensive juggernaut, but provides a solid defensive effort that Dallas often lacks. Hanzal, a physical, two-way forward, will also impact team defense. Hanzal has missed 13 games off-and-on this season with a variety of ailments including hamstring and hand injuries. His play has clearly been impacted by injury as well, as Hanzal has just six points in 26 games and a -11 rating. A player capable of 40 points – part of the reason he earned a three-year, $14.25MM deal this summer – Hanzal is hoping to have a greater impact on the score sheet moving forward.

Currently fourth in the Central Division, the Stars are far from out of playoff contention at the season’s midpoint. With games coming up against the New Jersey Devils tonight and Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, the team has a chance to pick up some points before their bye week, during which they can really get everyone back to full strength. However, the health of Methot and Hanzal will surely continue to be worth watching as the season continues. In fact, Dallas’ playoff hopes may rest on it, even with the plethora of other talent on the roster. The potential impact that Methot and Hanzal can have on team defense cannot be understated.

Rick Nash Staying Put In New York?

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The past few seasons have not been kind to Rick Nash. While Nash has been happy to make over $24MM for his services over the course of the past two seasons and 2017-18, he has done so without much fair value returning to the New York Rangers. The three-time 40-goal scorer, who inked an eight-year, $62.4MM deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets back in 2009 before being traded to New York in 2012, has never found much high-level success with the Rangers outside of a Hart Trophy-caliber campaign in 2014-15. Since then, however, Nash has seasons of 36 and 38 points respectively and is on pace for another sub-40 point campaign again this year, scoring even less frequently than the Boston Bruins’ Riley Nash for example. At a cap hit of $7.8MM, the veteran forward has been more of a drain on the Rangers’ cap space than an asset to the club. As an impending free agent, his future is very much up in the air.

Nash’s struggles have been magnified of late, as Larry Brooks of the New York Post writes, by an ongoing scoring drought and his demotion from the team’s top power play unit. Brooks opines that Nash’s declining production over the past few years has all but canceled out his value as a veteran and leader. Brooks doubts that the Rangers would get much in return should they make the impending UFA available at the coming trade deadline. If so, wouldn’t it make more sense for the Rangers to retain a familiar player for a playoff run rather than part with him for a cheap return?

Nash seems unlikely to move at the deadline and may even stay in New York beyond this season. As Brooks writes, “Nash has been a good player for the Rangers but not the game-breaker management anticipated in sending Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov, a first-rounder and Tim Erixon to the Jackets over the summer of 2012. He was supposed to be the missing piece. Instead, he missed his chance…” Brooks complaint is not with the quality of Nash’s play, but his performance relative to the pieces given up to get him and, of course, the price the team pays to have him on the roster. Yet, with the opportunity to re-sign Nash this summer for a much lower price, that stigma will be gone; it would be a fresh start, but with the same team. It’s the same sentiment that TSN’s Darren Dreger echoed recently, when he said that Nash would prefer to stay in New York and the Rangers would like to keep him. Dreger adds that extension talks have not been started, but all signs point to Nash staying with the Blueshirts through 2017-18 and perhaps even beyond.

Snapshots: Hoffman, Andersen, Carrier, AHL

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The Ottawa Senators already have one offer in hand for forward Mike Hoffman according to Darren Dreger of TSN, but it’s not enough to pry him away. The offer is for “futures” as Dreger calls them, and likely made up of a draft pick and prospect. It’s not clear which team has offered it, what prospect is involved or what round the pick would be from.

The idea that the Senators wouldn’t sell Hoffman for just a prospect and picks makes sense, as they aren’t looking to completely tear it down. This is a team that went out and acquired Matt Duchene earlier this year, and may only have one more year with Erik Karlsson under contract. More likely, the Senators would be looking for young roster players that can make an impact next season in any deal, though they haven’t come out and said that as of yet.

Minnesota Wild Finally Meet With Kirill Kaprizov

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In a story that has been worthy of Abbott and Costello at points due to the vast amounts of misunderstandings, Kirill Kaprizov has finally sat down with Minnesota Wild GM Chuck Fletcher, nearly three years after the team selected the Russian forward in the fifth round. Michael Russo of The Athletic has been following the story closely since the beginning, and now reports that Fletcher met with Kaprizov and fellow prospect Andrei Svetlakov on Tuesday night.

Kaprizov is a dynamic forward who has found nearly unparalleled success in the KHL for a player of his age, registering 42 points in 49 games last year at 19, and 36 in 38 games this season at 20. His offensive upside makes him one of the most interesting prospects in the game, and one that Minnesota would put on their NHL squad right now if they had the chance. Unfortunately, as Russo explains, Kaprizov is signed through the 2019-20 season and neither side has talked about a potential buyout. The Wild won’t lose his rights, but they’ll have to wait a while for him to come to North America.

In the meantime, Wild fans will likely be able to see him in some international competitions. While he’s not guaranteed a spot on the Olympic team, there’s a good chance we’ll see Kaprizov suit up in the World Championships at some point. If Fletcher can continue to create a relationship, perhaps we’ll see him in a Minnesota uniform in fall of 2020.

Arizona Coyotes Claim Freddie Hamilton

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The brothers have been broken up. According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Freddie Hamilton has been claimed by the Arizona Coyotes after being waived by the Calgary Flames yesterday, and will have to say goodbye to his brother Dougie as he heads to his next opportunity. In his absence, the Flames have recalled Marek Hrivik from the minor leagues.

It’s an interesting claim by Arizona, who obviously are hoping to unlock the offensive potential Hamilton has shown in junior and the minor leagues. The 26-year old forward has just six points in 67 career NHL games, but has been stuck in the press box as a healthy scratch for much of this season and last. When called upon, he’s been an effective energy player for the Flames but he’ll look to be more than that in Arizona.

Hrivik, 26, had been tearing up the minor leagues for the Stockton Heat, scoring 29 points in 28 games this season. The Slovakian forward became a Group VI free agent in the offseason after the New York Rangers gave him just 21 NHL games during his tenure, and signed a one-year deal with Calgary on July 1st. Earning the minimum, he’ll try to prove that he’s more than just a minor league player and secure a one-way deal for next season.

Scott Mayfield Signs Five-Year Contract Extension

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Scott Mayfield is finally getting a legitimate shot at the NHL, and he’s not willing to wait around for a payday. The New York Islanders defenseman has signed a five-year extension worth just $7.25MM total according to Arthur Staple of Newsday. Mayfield is earning just $675K in the second season of a two-year deal signed in 2016, but will see his average salary jump to $1.45MM for the next half-decade.

Scott MayfieldMayfield has been given extra responsibility recently, as the Islanders deal with injuries to Johnny Boychuk and Calvin de Haan, and has shown he can be an effective two-way option at the highest level. The 25-year old had played just 36 career NHL games coming into this season, but doesn’t look like he’s going anywhere anytime soon. Still with just 65 games played, had Mayfield not suited up for another 15 contests before the end of the year he could have become a Group VI unrestricted free agent. Either way, he was set to hit restricted free agency, but instead of battling it out in an arbitration hearing settled for the long-term certainty of his new extension.

The contract is certainly palatable for the Islanders, who have locked in a useful—if not exceptional—defenseman at a salary that is almost entirely risk-free. Even if his play falters and he’s buried in the minors, Mayfield will incur a very small cap hit. Instead, it seems more likely that this move is planning for a salary structure that includes a massive contract for John Tavares. If the Islanders do indeed sign Tavares long-term, they’ll need to keep costs low at every other opportunity. With Josh Bailey and de Haan also set to hit unrestricted free agency, money will soon be tight for New York.

Mayfield was a second-round selection by the Islanders in 2011, before going to the University of Denver for two seasons. Despite being an excellent one-on-one defender, he was known mostly for his physicality and willingness to drop the gloves to protect a teammate while in junior and college, and carried that feisty style over to the minor leagues when he eventually turned pro. Lately though, Mayfield has began to toe the line instead of jump right over it, and has turned himself into quite the solid defenseman. He’ll never be a real puck-carrying option, but he finds success playing a simple, mistake free game and could continue to blossom into a sort of shutdown option for the Islanders in the future. The fact that he’s added 10 points in 29 games hasn’t been overlooked, and Mayfield has earned himself more than 20 minutes in four of the Islanders’ last seven matches.

He’s not betting on himself with this contract, but it will likely keep Mayfield in the lineup and manning the blueline for the Islanders for some time. For a player who has had to fight to even get onto the ice on a regular basis, the security may be worth it.

Morning Notes: Duclair, Ceci, Bruins-Panthers

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We’ve heard previously that the Arizona Coyotes are looking to give Anthony Duclair a “fresh start” somewhere else around the league, and now Craig Custance of The Athletic reports that it is because the young forward requested a trade out of the desert. Duclair hasn’t been able to reproduce his breakout 2015-16 season in which he scored 20 goals and 44 points, but is still young enough to have an impact in the right situation.

The Coyotes, who seem happy with their development even in the face of another wasted season, are again one of the most likely sellers at the upcoming trade deadline. Though Duclair has just seven goals and 13 points on the year, he’s the kind of acquisition who could explode if given an opportunity in the second half. The fact that he’s a restricted free agent with arbitration rights is no small thing, as his future salary is still very much up in the air.

  • Darren Dreger was on TSN 1260 radio this morning, and suggested that Edmonton had pursued a Taylor Hall-for-Cody Ceci trade before eventually dealing the winger to the New Jersey Devils for Adam Larsson. For the Ottawa Senators, who have had trouble scoring over the last few years, adding a player like Hall may have changed some fortunes. Still, Ceci is a player who continues to see his name bandied about in trade rumors around the league, despite the Senators being quite happy with his play. If Ceci is dealt this year, surely it won’t be for a piece as big as Hall.
  • The game tonight between the Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers has been cancelled due to inclement weather, as a huge snow storm is headed for the Boston area. The city could get up to 18 inches of snow, and travel to and from the game isn’t safe. It has yet to be rescheduled.

Minor Transactions: 01/04/18

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There were just two games in the NHL last night, with the Detroit handing Ottawa another loss while Chicago got back in the win column over New York. As always, we’ll keep track of all the moves heading into a very busy Thursday night. Keep checking back for updated information.

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled Zac Dalpe again, meaning both he and Dean Kukan are back after their very short trips to the minors. It’s interesting that Columbus is using cap-saving measures like sending players down for just one day, when they have over $4MM in cap space already. Perhaps they’re preparing to make a move closer to the deadline that will require extra space. Dalpe did get into a game for the Cleveland Monsters last night, where he recorded two points and four shots on goal.
  • After the Arizona Coyotes claimed Freddie Hamilton off waivers, the team sent Mario Kempe down to the AHL. Kempe has played 18 games with the Coyotes this season, but will have to give up his spot to the incoming Hamilton. The 29-year old Kempe was signed last spring out of the KHL, but has just four points on the year during his NHL stay.

Buffalo Sabres Receiving Calls On Multiple Players

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Though Evander Kane is clearly the one to watch—especially after yesterday’s report that the Pittsburgh Penguins were interested in him—the Buffalo Sabres have several players who could have different crests on their sweaters over the next few weeks. Craig Custance, in his Trade Deadline Primer for The Athletic, reports that the Sabres are also receiving interest in Benoit Pouliot, Johan Larsson and Jacob Josefson.

Pouliot has long been expected to make a big impact in the league, but after his latest disappointing season in Edmonton was bought out in the summer. Buffalo jumped on the chance to bring in the fourth-overall pick from 2005, and signed him to a one-year $1.15MM contract on July 1st. Pouliot has been better than last season, with 11 points in 39 games, but that’s not saying much. The 31-year old has been killing penalties for the Sabres, and still brings fine possession numbers, but there isn’t a lot to be excited about even with his relatively low salary.

Larsson and Josefson bring much of the same, just in younger bodies. With six and three points respectively, neither is going to change the offensive outlook of an acquiring team. What they can do, is give you responsible minutes on the fourth line and penalty kill, while providing some depth down the middle. Both can play center reasonably well, though neither are very good in the faceoff dot.

In all, every player not named Jack Eichel is likely available for the right price in Buffalo. The problem is there isn’t a lot of value in many of them, because of either poor performance, age or salary. Kane remains their big chip to make a splash at the deadline, but expect them to be very busy selling off smaller pieces over the next few weeks.

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