While there wasn’t a lot of activity on the trade front, there was one deal of note made over the past seven days which is among the top stories of the past week.
Elliott Injured: Philadelphia’s postseason chances took a dip when it was revealed that starting goalie Brian Elliott will miss five-to-six weeks after undergoing core muscle surgery. For the time being, this means that the Flyers will go with a tandem of Michal Neuvirth and Alex Lyon while there has been plenty of speculation that they will have to turn to the trade market at some point before the deadline. However, it appears that they have already declined an offer involving Detroit’s Petr Mrazek.
Phaneuf For Gaborik: The most prominent trade of the week saw a swap of veterans with the Kings acquiring defenseman Dion Phaneuf and center Nate Thompson from Ottawa in exchange for winger Marian Gaborik and center Nick Shore. The Sens are retaining 25% of Phaneuf’s contract through 2021-21. While the 32-year-old blueliner isn’t a top pairing player anymore, he still is capable of holding down a second pairing role and should help shore up their back end. Meanwhile, Ottawa, a known budget team, saves some money over the life of the trade although Gaborik’s best days are behind him while Shore is more of a depth player than an impact one.
Seattle Files Expansion Application: Seattle took the next step towards their anticipated expansion franchise by officially filing their application and $10MM down payment to the league. Considering the NHL has already pre-set the expansion fee and set it so that only Seattle could apply, the expectation is that this will be rubber-stamped. Presently, the hope is that the renovations to Key Arena will be ready in time for Seattle to join the league in 2020.
Six Years For Backlund: There is one less top-six center set to hit the open market this summer as the Flames signed Mikael Backlund to a six-year, $32.1MM contract extension that also contains a ten-team no-trade list. The 28-year-old has spent his entire career with Calgary after they drafted him in the first round (24th overall) back in 2007. While he is having a little bit of a quieter year offensively, he’s still on pace to surpass the 45-point mark for the third straight season. The deal also gives the Flames some security down the middle as their top-two pivots are each signed through at least the 2022-23 season.
Hunwick On The Block, Cole Off: Pittsburgh’s desire to add help at center is well-known but given their salary cap constraints, they will have to make a move to free up some money first. While blueliner Ian Cole has long been expected to be the casualty, talk of the pending UFA being dealt has cooled off recently as he has returned to a regular role in the lineup. Instead, fellow rearguard Matt Hunwick is being made available by GM Jim Rutherford. While his $2.25MM cap hit is manageable, the fact he has two years remaining after this one may limit the number of teams that pursue him.
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