Archives for February 2018

Morning Notes: Nash, Karlsson, Weber

February 22, 2018 at 11:33 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 5 Comments

Trade deadline rumors are coming fast and furious these days, and NHL Network analyst Brian Lawton took to Twitter to express his thoughts on several topics this morning. Lawton contends that a deal for Rick Nash will definitely happen, and it’s just up to the New York Rangers at this point to decide which package is the best offer. There have been previous reports that linked Nash to Nashville, Dallas, Winnipeg, Columbus and Boston, though it’s not clear who has actually put forward an offer for the veteran winger.

Lawton also states that Ryan McDonagh is “closer to being moved then [sic] anyone realizes” which make earlier reports that the Boston Bruins are still in the mix for the New York captain that much more interesting. The Rangers are clearly one of this year’s biggest sellers, looking to give themselves something of a new slate to work with in 2018-19.

Erik Karlsson rumors have dominated the last few days, and Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) notes that even the Nashville Predators have checked in on the Ottawa Senators’ captain. One might assume that Nashville would have no interest given their glut of outstanding defensemen, but as LeBrun writes, GM David Poile “leaves no stone unturned.” Asking on the kind of return the Senators are expecting for Karlsson would be good information to have even if the Predators have no intention of acquiring him, which can often lead to speculation of interest where there is none (though, that can’t necessarily be said for this specific case).
LeBrun also notes on Twitter that interest is picking up on Michael Grabner, and that teams are “coming harder at NYR today it seems.” That increased interest could lead to an incredibly exciting weekend for Rangers fans looking to the future.
Unfortunately it looks like Shea Weber’s season may be over, as Darren Dreger of TSN reports that the team will update his status later today. Weber has consulted two specialists in recent days, and with Montreal clearly out of the playoffs could aim at the beginning of next season as a return date.

Minor Transactions: 02/22/18

February 22, 2018 at 10:37 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

Another day, another few trades in the NHL. The Rangers, Canadiens, Coyotes and Kings were all involved in transactions yesterday, swapping expiring contracts and goaltenders as they get ready for the deadline. While some minor moves have been made over the last few days, we still haven’t seen the prime targets change sweaters. While we all wait for those moves, PHR will keep track of all the day’s minor transactions.

Tucker Poolman is back up with the Winnipeg Jets, after playing a single game with the Manitoba Moose last night. Poolman hadn’t gotten into the lineup in a while, so the Jets gave him a chance to suit up and try to shake off a bit of rust. Poolman was a +1 in the Moose victory, and will now return and try to get into the lineup for the Jets down the stretch.
After trading away backup goaltender Darcy Kuemper last night, the Los Angeles Kings have recalled Jack Campbell from the minor leagues, assigning Michael Mersch and Paul Ladue to the AHL in the process. Campbell has rediscovered his form in the Kings organization, and looks ready to take the next step to become an NHL goaltender.
The New York Rangers have recalled Vinni Lettieri from the minor leagues, which could indicate that a trade is brewing for the club. They were expected to get Chris Kreider back into the lineup this weekend, and with Pavel Buchnevich back from his concussion already had enough healthy forwards. Still, they had roster spots open and could just be using Lettieri as insurance for their game tonight against the Canadiens.

Latest On Ryan McDonagh’s Trade Market

February 22, 2018 at 9:56 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 8 Comments

As the rumors start to bubble up around New York Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that the Toronto Maple Leafs—one of the teams with perceived interest—are not on his 10-team no-trade list. That would mean the Rangers could trade McDonagh to the Maple Leafs without asking him, though no deal seems imminent.

The Boston Bruins are also listed as “in the mix” though LeBrun reports that the asking price will need to drop before they do anything. That asking price is likely tremendous given McDonagh’s status as a top-pairing defenseman with another year on his reasonable contract. The Rangers are interested in bringing back young players during their sell off, and McDonagh is their greatest trade chip.

The Maple Leafs have been looking for another top-4 defenseman for quite some time, and though Travis Dermott’s emergence as a legitimate NHL option has helped, the team still could use an upgrade on the back end. McDonagh would immediately upgrade their group, though his addition would give them another left-handed option to go along with Morgan Rielly, Jake Gardiner, Ron Hainsey and Dermott. Playing defensemen on their off-side has never been a favorite of head coach Mike Babcock, and he’s already had to use Hainsey on the right all season.

For Boston, remaining in the mix for McDonagh is a bit surprising after they already traded for his former teammate in Nick Holden. Obviously McDonagh is a different asset than Holden, but his acquisition would simply give them too many defensemen. If the Bruins did go after him, they’d likely be sending back a blue liner of some sort.

Deadline Primer: St. Louis Blues

February 21, 2018 at 8:41 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 1 Comment

With the trade deadline now less than a week away, we continue our closer look at the situation for each team. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs? Next up is a look at the St. Louis Blues.

It has been a bit of surprising season in St. Louis. They’ve had several key injuries and have had their original backup goaltender take over as the starter but they haven’t really missed a beat. As a result, they will be looking to add to their roster in the coming days but will face some challenges along the way.

Record

34-23-4, third in Central Division

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$1.1MM full-season cap hit (including LTIR), 0/3 retained salary transactions, 43/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Draft Picks

2018: STL 2nd, STL 3rd, STL 4th, STL 5th, STL 6th, STL 7th
2019: STL 1st, STL 2nd, STL 3rd, STL 5th, STL 6th, STL 7th

As part of the Brayden Schenn trade back in June, if the Blues’ 2018 first-round pick is a top-ten selection, they have the option to defer transferring the selection to the Flyers until 2019.

Trade Chips

As a result of some strong drafting in recent years, St. Louis has an enviable stable of prospects in their system, particularly up front. Junior players Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou are believed to be coveted by several teams while first-year AHL players Tage Thompson and Klim Kostin will also attract plenty of attention. However, GM Doug Armstrong has already ruled out dealing his top prospects for rentals (and would like to avoid that market altogether) which suggests a rightful hesitance to move these players no matter how much other teams want them. Of this group, Thompson may be the likeliest to be dealt if the Blues do make a big move as him being near NHL ready will be of interest to several teams.

Because of their very limited cap room, St. Louis will need to match salaries or come very close to doing so to fit any acquisitions under the cap. Accordingly, there are several veterans that could become cap casualties in the days to come. Center Patrik Berglund has been discussed with Ottawa in talks already while blueliner Carl Gunnarsson, who has been on the outside looking in several times this season, is a strong candidate to go if the Blues are looking to add payroll.

Five Players To Watch For: C Patrik Berglund, D Carl Gunnarsson, W Dmitrij Jaskin, D Jordan Schmaltz, W/C Tage Thompson

Team Needs

1) Defensive Depth: The Blues will be without Joel Edmundson until mid-March at the earliest with a broken arm while Petteri Lindbohm, one of their depth defenders, is done for the season. Even Schmaltz, who will draw some interest as well, has been out since being injured in January. Any further injuries on the back end will really start to test their depth so it wouldn’t be shocking to see Armstrong pursue one of the depth defenders that are out there or at least look to acquire an AHL blueliner.

2) Scoring Winger: This has been a need they’ve been looking to address pretty much all season but salary cap constraints have really prevented them from doing so. They’ve been linked to Montreal’s Max Pacioretty and Ottawa’s Mike Hoffman, players that would certainly give them a boost inside their top-six but would also cost a considerable amount to acquire. If those teams aren’t willing to take a similar amount of money back to match contracts, Armstrong may have to set his sights on a middle-six option instead, one that wouldn’t cost a top prospect to bring in.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Crawford, Edler, Grubauer, Domi

February 21, 2018 at 7:25 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 3 Comments

While Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville had been expecting goaltender Corey Crawford to return at some point this season, he acknowledged to reporters, including Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times, that he isn’t hopeful now that the netminder will play again in 2017-18. Crawford has been out of the lineup with a head injury since late December and the team has struggled considerably in his absence. With Chicago falling well out of the playoff race, Quenneville admitted that their placement in the Central Division may play a role in deciding if he returns, even if he gets the green light from team doctors.

Elsewhere around the league:

Canucks defenseman Alex Edler does not appear to be willing to waive his no-trade clause if Vancouver was to reach an agreement on a trade involving him, reports Sportsnet’s Dan Murphy (Twitter link). With Vancouver sitting well out of the playoff picture and many contending teams coveting defensemen, the 31-year-old will undoubtedly be of interest to many teams around the league. However, it appears he’ll be sticking around into the offseason at the very least.
Although the Capitals could generate some interest in goalie Philipp Grubauer, Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post reports that the team is hesitant to move him now as they don’t have a reliable option behind him if Braden Holtby was to get injured. Prospect Ilya Samsonov is believed to be willing to join the Caps next season so while a Grubauer trade is unlikely now, that should change in the offseason.
The Canadiens have had discussions with the Coyotes regarding center Max Domi, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports (Twitter link). However, it appears that Montreal was viewing him as a buy-low candidate while Arizona isn’t willing to do a deal like that at this time. Domi has had a tough 2017-18 campaign with just four goals in 59 games and will be a restricted free agent this summer.

Kings Acquire Tobias Rieder From Coyotes In Three-Player Trade

February 21, 2018 at 6:10 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 12 Comments

The Kings and Coyotes have made a trade as Los Angeles has acquired winger Tobias Rieder and goaltender Scott Wedgewood from Arizona in exchange for goaltender Darcy Kuemper. Both teams have announced the swap.

Rieder has struggled this season under new bench boss Rick Tocchet and as a result, he is on pace for the lowest goal total of his career after tallying just eight through 58 games this season. However, the Kings would certainly have cause for optimism that he could bounce back as the 25-year-old has surpassed the 30-point mark in each of the last two seasons. Rieder is set to be a restricted free agent this summer and currently carries a $2.25MM cap hit and a $2.45MM salary; that amount will serve as his qualifying offer in June. The Coyotes are retaining 15% of that contract, per TSN’s Bob McKenzie (Twitter link).

Los Angeles GM Rob Blake has been looking to add to the roster without losing any of his top draft picks and prospects and this deal accomplishes that, similar to the Dion Phaneuf swap with Ottawa last week. Rieder slots in as a versatile middle-six winger that can not only play both special teams units but he can also play on both the left and right side.

[Related: Updated Kings and Coyotes Depth Charts from Roster Resource]

This is Kuemper’s first season out of the Minnesota organization and to say he has thrived would be an understatement. In 19 games with the Kings this season (15 starts), he has compiled a 10-1-3 record with a 2.10 GAA and a .932 SV%. He’s making just the league minimum of $650K this season and will earn considerably more than that on his next deal as McKenzie reports (via Twitter) that he will receive $3.7MM on a two-year contract extension with Arizona for an AAV of $1.85MM.

The trade and subsequent new deal for Kuemper gives the Coyotes a little bit more certainty when it comes to the goaltending position with starting netminder Antti Raanta slated to become an unrestricted free agent in July. Raanta, when healthy, has played quite well for Arizona with a 2.45 GAA and a .924 SV% in 35 games which should have in line for a considerable raise on the $1MM he is receiving this season. The Finnish netminder is set to be an unrestricted free agent in July. Craig Morgan of Arizona Sports adds (Twitter link) that the team still intends to try to re-sign Raanta.

Wedgewood was in his first season with Arizona after being acquired from New Jersey back in late October. He has compiled a 3.45 GAA and a .893 SV% in 20 contests this season. The 25-year-old is also making the league minimum this season and is eligible for restricted free agency with arbitration rights this summer.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was first to report (Twitter link) that a deal between the two sides was close and that a Kuemper extension was likely.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

East Notes: Green, Penguins, Schneider, Staal

February 21, 2018 at 5:36 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 2 Comments

While Tampa Bay is believed to be the front-runner for Red Wings defenseman Mike Green, they aren’t the only team in the Atlantic interested in his services. MLive’s Ansar Khan reports that the Maple Leafs have also shown an interest in bringing in the pending unrestricted free agent. Toronto’s interest in adding some help on the back end is well-known but Green isn’t the typical defensive-minded blueliner that many have expected the Leafs to covet. As a result of their recent trades, Toronto has quietly freed up enough cap space to absorb Green’s full $6MM contract without needing Detroit to retain which could give them a leg up on more cap-strapped squads.

Elsewhere in the East:

As Pittsburgh’s well-publicized center search continues, BSN Denver’s Adrian Dater reports (Twitter link) that the Penguins have some interest in Avalanche pivot Carl Soderberg as a fallback option if they can’t land a more prominent target. Soderberg has had a bit of a bounce-back season with 24 points (11-13-24) in 56 games after recording just 14 in 80 contests last season. However, he has two years remaining on his contract after this one with a $4.75MM cap hit, someone that Colorado would likely have to retain on to facilitate a move.
The Devils are getting closer to getting a key part of their team back in the lineup. Goaltender Cory Schneider participated in practice once again today and NHL.com’s Mike Morreale notes that he could return as soon as next week. Keith Kinkaid has seen the lion’s share of the workload since Schneider was injured January 23rd and has struggled at times with the extra responsibility. Once he gets the green light to return, veteran Eddie Lack will likely be returned to the minors.
Rangers blueliner Marc Staal will return to the lineup on Thursday for the first time since suffering a neck injury on February 3rd, the team announced (Twitter link). New York is currently carrying the minimum roster of 20 players so they will not need to make any moves to officially activate him off IR.

Speculation Continues To Increase Around Erik Karlsson

February 21, 2018 at 4:11 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 1 Comment

“Erik Karlsson is in play.” That’s how Frank Seravalli starts his latest update to the Trade Bait board on TSN, after Bob McKenzie released a thorough examination of the market for the Ottawa Senators’ captain. Karlsson is still a long-shot to be traded by Monday’s deadline, but McKenzie writes that more than six teams are believed to have made contact (one way or another) with Senators’ GM Pierre Dorion.

The return in any Karlsson trade would be astronomical, and could include getting Bobby Ryan’s contract off the Ottawa books. While McKenzie reports that isn’t absolutely necessary, it’s obviously something the Senators want to do in the coming days or months.

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic chimes in on Twitter to add that a Western Conference GM believes the Senators might just be “laying down the framework” for an offseason move of Karlsson. That seems more likely, as a trade of this magnitude would take a considerable amount of work to pull off, something that teams are running out of as we approach the Monday deadline.

Still, the fact that the Senators are considering moving one of the best defensemen in the league will certainly change many team’s outlooks at the deadline. It could freeze the market until a real decision comes out of Ottawa, or could make deadline day one that drastically changes the playoff picture. Karlsson would immediately vault any playoff challenger to contender status, or cement a team like Tampa Bay as an absolute powerhouse.

Nothing that has come out over the last few days is definitive, and McKenzie himself states that a trade is still probably not going to happen. But it definitely makes rumor season a lot more interesting.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Deadline Primer: Los Angeles Kings

February 21, 2018 at 2:32 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 1 Comment

With the trade deadline fast approaching, we will be taking a closer look at the situation for each team. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs? Next up is a look at the Los Angeles Kings.

The Los Angeles Kings got a jump on their trade deadline moves when they went out and acquired Dion Phaneuf from the Ottawa Senators. While getting rid of Phaneuf’s contract was front and center for his former team, the Kings have welcomed him in with open arms and installed him on the powerplay. Phaneuf has responded by scoring three times in four games, and looks well-suited for the reduced responsibility in Los Angeles.

In addition to Phaneuf, the Kings are ready to welcome Jeff Carter back to practice after he was medically cleared to return today, which should give them a large offensive boost for the stretch run. With those two in place, the team could make some minor additions to increase their chances even further in what has become a very tight playoff race.