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Archives for March 2018

PHR Mailbag: McDonagh Trade, Deadline Winners, Nash, Penguins, Karlsson

March 4, 2018 at 4:58 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 2 Comments

The trade deadline has come and gone and not surprisingly, some of the big moves (and non-moves) dominated the questions for this mailbag.

acarneglia: What is your reaction to the Ryan McDonagh trade? On the surface, who was the winner and did the Rangers get a good enough return to justify trading their top D-Man and one of their best young players?

Pawtucket: Why would NYR trade Miller (RFA) for Namestnikov (RFA), when Miller is proven to be versatile on any line and has been a product of the Rangers for many years?

Not surprisingly, the Ryan McDonagh trade to Tampa Bay was the hot topic of the week so let’s lead off with that and look at it from a couple of angles.  For starters, I think New York did better here than some are giving them credit for.  The inclusion of Vladislav Namestnikov and J.T. Miller (more on them in a moment) is relatively even so in essence, the Rangers picked up a guaranteed first, a guaranteed second that could become a first, plus a pair of good (not great) prospects for a year and a quarter of McDonagh.  That’s far from terrible.

I can understand some disappointment from the perspective that there isn’t a real blue-chip piece in that group and they’re unlikely to get one from the draft picks.  Given the lack of top prospects that moved at the deadline though, I don’t really think there was one out there to be had and that may not have changed in the offseason when it actually becomes a pure rental situation.  This isn’t a home run for GM Jeff Gorton but I don’t believe it was a fleecing for the Lightning by any stretch either.

Feb 28, 2018; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; New York Rangers forward Vladislav Namestnikov (90) celebrates his goal against Vancouver Canucks goaltender Anders Nilsson (31) (not pictured) during the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY SportsThe inclusion of the two forwards in Namestnikov and Miller was a bit of a head-scratcher.  I think it really comes down to a preference for a specific type of player.  Miller is a bit more of an all-around piece that can shuffle into a few different spots so that type of versatility will be useful with the Lightning.  Namestnikov is more of a pure skill player and while that limits how many spots he can fit into a lineup, they may believe the overall upside is a bit greater.  Given that their ages and contractual status are a wash, it probably comes down to each GM thinking the guy they got is a better fit than the one they gave up.  I think Miller, in particular, should fit in quite well with Tampa Bay.

ByeTheNumbers: Which teams were the biggest winners and losers after the deadline? Which players were the biggest winners and losers?

Tampa filled a massive need so it’s hard not to put them here.  Having already discussed the trade earlier, I won’t add much here but they already had the forward depth and strong goaltending and now their biggest weakness has been addressed in a big way.  Winnipeg also wins by getting a versatile center in Paul Stastny to really help them make a run.  His addition gives them enviable depth down the middle and insurance if one of Mark Scheifele or Bryan Little gets hurt.  Losing a first-rounder hurts a bit but they have the prospect pool to overcome losing that and Stastny should be a great fit there.

In terms of a team that lost, the Islanders immediately come to mind.  They’ve had goaltending issues all year and did nothing to address that.  Their back end has been struggling considerably and Brandon Davidson isn’t going to fix that; he’s just another depth option.  (The optics aren’t great about them giving up a third-rounder for a player who was a waiver claim not all that long ago but to be fair, their situation health-wise has changed since then).  They also had an opportunity to use some of their extra draft picks to add an important piece to really aid in their postseason push while perhaps helping to entice John Tavares to stick around (or at least help replace him).  They failed on that end as well; adding another physical forward in Chris Wagner to an already-physical fourth line certainly didn’t move the needle at all.

As for players that are big winners, McDonagh is an obvious one.  He goes from a situation where the Rangers are in full rebuilding mode to a Tampa Bay squad that’s going for the Stanley Cup and he won’t have as many responsibilities on his shoulders with Victor Hedman around.  That’s a nice spot to be in for him.  Evander Kane getting a shot at a postseason run is also a win for him with free agency on the horizon.  To pick an off the radar player, I’d also suggest Chris Bigras who was flipped to the Rangers in a late trade with Colorado is a winner as well.  He has gone from a quality prospect to somewhat of an afterthought lately and with New York’s back end getting blown up, he should get an opportunity to re-establish himself with his new team down the stretch.

On the flip side, Jack Johnson not getting dealt puts him in a tough spot moving forward.  As much as he’s saying the right things publicly, this is still a pretty awkward situation to be in where he asked for a trade, the team acquired what looked to be a replacement in Ian Cole, and he still didn’t get dealt.  It’s hard to imagine that he’s happy with the way things played out.

@therealscyie: So the Bruins overpaid highly for Rick Nash, when the Leafs get Tomas Plekanec for a 2nd and two prospects. Plekanec has had more points than Nash in the past three years combined. So my question is did Sweeney get fleeced again on another trade?

I believe Boston overpaid in the Nash trade but not because of what Toronto gave up for Plekanec.  Yes, their point totals over the past three years combined are close but looking at this season and last, it’s not exactly close (69 points in 131 games for Nash, 48 in 123 contests for Plekanec).  One is still a top-six player, the other is more of a checker so naturally, Nash was going to yield a better return.

What surprised me was how much the Bruins gave up for someone that isn’t a front line upgrade.  Ryan Spooner had been speculated as a change of scenery candidate for a while now but he is still a productive forward with team control (that actually has more points than Nash at the moment in considerably fewer games).  Ryan Lindgren is a decent prospect and they added a first-rounder (albeit a late one) as well.  Considering the price for players like Paul Stastny and Evander Kane, that was a steep price to pay.

The other reason I’m not a big fan of Nash’s acquisition from Boston’s perspective is their playoff matchups.  If they want to get out of the division, they have to get through Toronto and Tampa Bay, two of the quickest teams in the league.  Nash isn’t exactly a speedster and that could come into play through the first couple of rounds.  He’s undoubtedly an upgrade for the Bruins but I don’t think he was the perfect fit and they certainly paid a high price to get him.

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bucsfan: Better deadline move from the Pens: Trading for Brassard or resigning Hornqvist?

Pittsburgh paid a hefty price to add Derick Brassard from Ottawa (via Vegas) and got Patric Hornqvist to re-sign at what could be suggested as a below-market value but I have to say that I think the Brassard addition was the better of the two moves.

Center depth is critical nowadays.  It’s great for exploiting certain matchups and on a team that has quality talent on the third line, Brassard immediately gives the Penguins a trio that is capable of really taking advantage of those weaker matchups.  He also gives them insurance if one of Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin go down in that he is a legitimate top-six center if he ever had to move up.  That’s invaluable to a contending team (and enviable to everyone else), especially at a $3MM cap hit (with the Golden Knights taking on the other $2MM).  They also got him without taking away much of consequence from their roster although eventually, dealing away their top picks and prospects regularly will come back to bite them.

Hornqvist is a great complementary player for Pittsburgh and in the short-term, they’ll certainly benefit from keeping him around.  Their window is this year and next and he’ll be able to help them through that time.  However, he’s a gritty player with a lot of mileage on him already (over 700 NHL regular season and playoff games) and those types of players don’t tend to age well.  He’s already 31 so there is a pretty good chance that by the time this deal is up that he will be a shadow of the player he is now.  I think he could have got more on the open market as power forwards are always in high demand but the last year or two of this new deal could be tough.

@Margefro87: What do you think a trade for Erik Karlsson would have to look like from Vegas, from Tampa, and from Washington?

With Tampa Bay adding McDonagh, I think they’re out of the Karlsson sweepstakes for good, even in the offseason.  They’ve moved several picks and prospects already and the Sens aren’t going to settle for the ‘best of the rest’, nor should they when they decide to move a player of his caliber.

Every time I heard Washington mentioned as a suitor for Karlsson, I was skeptical.  With their salary cap situation (both this year and next), it’s hard to imagine how they could make it work.  Presumably, Brooks Orpik would have to be involved to offset the cap hits but once you start looking at the future assets, they’re a team that is perpetually near the top so the draft picks aren’t high and while I like Ilya Samsonov’s upside, he’s their only real blue-chip prospect and Ottawa just added what they hope is their goalie of the future in the Brassard deal.  They’re going to be looking for a top-end piece and unless Washington is willing to move a core youngster off their roster, I don’t see a fit.

The idea of Vegas being in on Karlsson both before and after the deadline would have seemed nuts a few months ago but it does make a bit of sense given how well they’re doing.  They have the flexibility to take on Bobby Ryan’s onerous contract which will certainly be of interest to a budget-conscious Senators team.  While they don’t have the most prospect depth given that it’s still just their first year, any of their three first-rounders from the last draft would intrigue them while they have some young roster players (such as Shea Theodore and Alex Tuch) that are still young enough to be part of a long-term rebuild.  One of those players, plus one of their previous firsts, and another high draft pick should at least get their foot back in the door for summer talks, especially if they take on Ryan’s full contract as part of a swap.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Uncategorized PHR Mailbag

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Vancouver’s Baertschi Likely Done For Season

March 4, 2018 at 3:55 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

The Vancouver Canucks head coach Travis Green announced that winger Sven Baertschi has a separated shoulder and is most likely done for the season. The injury occurred in the Canucks game against the Nashville Predators Friday when Baertschi was took a hit from Predators’ defenseman Alexei Emelin early in the game and was forced to leave.

The 25-year-old Baertschi has struggled with injuries this season as he missed almost a month in December when he was hit in the jaw with a puck. He has had a good season when healthy as he has 14 goals and 15 assists in 53 games, which was on pace for a career high. However, he has never played a full season in the NHL as 69 games is his career high, back in 2015-16. He missed almost a month last season when he suffered a concussion.

The injury may also not help him in his negotiations with the Canucks as Baertschi will be a restricted free agent this summer. The team must decide whether Baertschi is part of the team’s future or whether they should move him. He is wrapping up a two-year, $3.7MM deal he signed in 2016.

 

Injury| Travis Green| Vancouver Canucks Alexei Emelin| Sven Baertschi

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Minor Transactions: 3/4/18

March 4, 2018 at 1:50 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

The NHL continues its busy schedule Sunday with seven games after an eight-game showcase on Saturday, including a rare outdoors game in which the Washington Capitals defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2 in the Stadium Series at the U.S. Naval Academy. With so many games, teams will continue to make roster moves throughout the day, so check back to see what teams are doing.

  • The Arizona Coyotes announced they have recalled defenseman Andrew Campbell from the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL. The 30-year-old veteran has been recalled several times this year by the Coyotes as an emergency defenseman, but has not made it into a game this season. He has played 42 career NHL games and has two goals and four assists in 47 games for the Roadrunners. AZ Sports Craig Morgan writes that Campbell was recalled as defenseman Alex Goligoski is expected to miss Monday’s game as he and his wife are expecting the birth of their second child.
  • The Buffalo Sabres announced they have recalled forward Kyle Criscuolo and defenseman Brendan Guhle from the Rochester Americans of the AHL. Criscuolo, who signed a two-year, $1.3MM contract with the Sabres this offseason has put up solid numbers with Rochester as he’s put up 15 goals and 34 points in 50 AHL games. The 25-year-old out of Harvard University has appeared in eight games with Buffalo, but hasn’t gotten on the scoreboard yet. Guhle, the team’s second-round pick in 2015, is having a solid season in Rochester as well as he’s scored eight goals and 16 assists in 48 games. He has one assist in two NHL games he played in January. The Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington showed surprise at the transaction as the team indicated that they were not going to make any recalls. As reported earlier, defenseman Marco Scandella looked ready to go in practice Sunday despite suffering an upper-body injury on Friday. Evan Rodrigues is still suffering from an upper-body injury he sustained Wednesday, but the team was using Benoit Pouliot at center out of position. No word if another injury has altered the team’s plans.

AHL| Buffalo Sabres| Injury| Transactions| Utah Mammoth Alex Goligoski| Andrew Campbell| Benoit Pouliot| Evan Rodrigues| Marco Scandella

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Injury Notes: Eichel, Jets’ Updates, Scandella, Schmidt, Neal

March 4, 2018 at 12:45 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

Jack Eichel has taken his first step or skate in his road to recovery from the high ankle sprain that sidelined him on Feb. 10. Given a timetable of four to six weeks, Eichel skated Saturday for the first time, according to the Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington. Despite skating, head coach Phil Housley stated that he is not ready to return to practice yet and there is no timetable for a return.

“We don’t want to put him under that sort of pressure,” Housley said. “He has skated. He started skating yesterday so that’s good to see him start making progress.”

With the season hitting its final stretch, there is no guarantee that Eichel will return to the lineup at all, although Housley said that Eichel definitely wants to return before the end of the season. The 21-year-old was on pace to surpass his career highs in goals as he already had 22 goals in 55 games (24 goals is his career high). The team is 4-5-1 without Eichel these past 10 games.

  • Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun writes that Winnipeg Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba and forward Adam Lowry are both progressing, but aren’t expected to return during the Jets’ six-game road trip. Trouba has been missing since Jan. 25 with an ankle injury has been skating for more than a week, while Lowry has been out since Feb. 1 with a lower-body injury. However, forward Brandon Tanev is ready to return, but head coach Paul Maurice doesn’t want to change his forward lineup. Defenseman Toby Enstrom is expected back either Tuesday or Thursday. He’s missed two games with a lower-body injury.
  • Wiebe also adds that Winnipeg Jets goaltender Steve Mason is traveling to New York City to meet up with team for their upcoming game against the New York Rangers on Tuesday. He got in a game of conditioning with the Manitoba Moose Saturday, allowing four goals on 22 shots in a 5-4 overtime victory. Mason has been out with a concussion and hasn’t played in a game since Jan. 9.
  • Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News tweets that defenseman Marco Scandella, who missed most of Friday’s game due to a big hit on the boards, is practicing with the team today.
  • SinBinVegas tweets that Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nate Schmidt and winger James Neal (hand) both did not fly with the team to New Jersey, which will start the team’s five-game road-trip. However, both are expected to eventually meet up with the team.

 

Injury| Paul Maurice| Phil Housley| Vegas Golden Knights| Winnipeg Jets Adam Lowry| Brandon Tanev| Jack Eichel| Jacob Trouba| James Neal| Marco Scandella| Nate Schmidt| Steve Mason| Toby Enstrom

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Florida Panthers Ink Riley Stillman To Entry-Level Contract

March 4, 2018 at 11:02 am CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

The Florida Panthers announced they have signed defenseman Riley Stillman to an entry-level contract Sunday. The team’s fourth-round pick in the 2016 draft is also the son of former-NHL star Cory Stillman.

In Ryan Stillman, the Panthers sign a solid left-shooting defenseman, known for both his leadership and work ethic and occasional big hits. He is a quick skater, who has the ability to run the power play. He spent most of his junior career with the Oshawa Generals of the OHL, but was traded in late December to the Eastern Confernce-leading Hamilton Bulldogs for five draft picks. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound blueliner has four goals and 27 assists combined between the two teams this year.

Stillman’s leadership skills stand out as he was named assistant captain as a rookie for Oshawa at midseason during the 2015-16 season, a rare accomplishment.

Florida Panthers| OHL

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Anaheim Ducks Sign Maxime Comtois To Entry-Level Deal

March 3, 2018 at 7:45 pm CDT | by Zach Leach Leave a Comment

The Anaheim Ducks knew they had a steal in the second round of the 2017 NHL Draft when they selected Maxime Comtois. Now they’re preparing to show the rest of the league exactly what they passed up on. Ducks beat writer Eric Stephens reports this evening that Anaheim has inked Comtois to a three-year entry-level contract.

If Comtois challenged for and won an NHL job next season, it would come as no surprise. When scouts originally started breaking down the 2017 draft class, the earliest projections all had Comtois as a surefire first-round pick. A big, physical forward and powerful skater who plays a complete 200-foot game, the Quebec native looked to be a bona fide future NHLer. In his first junior season in the QMJHL in 2015-16, Comtois was nearly a point-per-game player as a 16-year-old for the Victoriaville Tigres. Scouting reports raved about his quickness, especially at 6’2″, 200+ lbs., passing, poise, and natural instincts. However, some of that excitement wore off in 2016-17, his draft year, as his production dropped off from 60 points in 62 games the season prior to 51 points in 64 games and questions were raised about the ceiling of his offensive game. Yet, the the Ducks needed a high-upside pick at #50 after trading away their first-rounder for Patrick Eaves at the deadline. Despite some doubts over Comtois’ future ability at the top level, Anaheim made their selection and, in 2017-18, Comtois has proven them right. The left wing power forward has looked more like he did two years ago, having already racked up 73 points in 49 games and showing a previously unseen goal-scoring touch with 39 tallies. Perhaps most impressively, Comtois has continued his solid two-way game as well and sports a whopping +35 rating on the year.

Alongside U.S. Olympian Troy Terry of the NCAA, 2016 first-rounders Sam Steel of the WHL and Max Jones of the OHL, and his good friend and fellow 2017 second-rounder Antoine Morand, also in the QMJHL, Comtois is part of a deep, talented, and eclectic group of promising forward prospects in Anaheim. While not all are expected to push for a big league job next season, Comtois surely won’t be alone in fighting for one of the few open spots on the roster. Luckily for the Ducks, too many strong prospects at the same position is a problem any team would like to have.

Anaheim Ducks| Prospects| QMJHL Patrick Eaves

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Snapshots: Maple Leafs Future, McDonagh, Price, Ferland

March 3, 2018 at 6:51 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 1 Comment

While armed with top talent to make a Stanley Cup run now, the Toronto Maple Leafs will also have quite a few decisions to make after this season. For purposes of their playoff run, the team held onto its two key unrestricted free agents in Tyler Bozak and James van Riemsdyk. However, there is an extreme likelihood the team will move on from those two after the season. The team’s salary cap will continue to tighten over the next couple of years, especially with the pending extensions of Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Mitch Marner. In fact, all three could be extended this summer, although Nylander is the only one who will be a restricted free agent when the offseason begins.

Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star writes that its unlikely either Bozak or van Riesmdyk will return. Bozak is especially unlikely as he will be highly coveted by teams that are in need of a center and might overpay to sign him, something that Toronto cannot afford to do. Van Riemsdyk is another player, who puts up lots of goals, but lacks in other areas and McGran writes that he could see coach Mike Babcock wanting to move on as well.

What other options are out there? One legitimate possibility would be for the Maple Leafs to go out and sign KHL star and former NHLer Ilya Kovalchuk. The 34-year-old winger might be a perfect replacement for van Riemsdyk and would be much cheaper. Kovalchuk is coming off his best two seasons in the KHL as well as leading Russia to a gold medal and winning the MVP award at the Olympics a couple of weeks ago.

McGran also mentions Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau’s former teammate and buddy would be an interesting possibility to replace Bozak. While he’s coming off a tough injury, Thornton would provide the team with more leadership and experience. Russian defenseman Igor Ozhiganov of CSKA Moscow has also been linked to the Maple Leafs. Among the top in-house candidates, McGran points to wingers Andreas Johnsson and Carl Grundstrom along with centers Miro Aaltonen and Frederik Gauthier as players who could fill out Toronto’s line next season. The team should also have some defensive depth options in Calle Rosen, Andreas Borgman and Timothy Liljegren.

  • Tampa Bay Times’ Joe Smith writes that while the Tampa Bay Lightning attempted to pry defenseman Erik Karlsson from Ottawa at the trade deadline, the acquisition of defenseman Ryan McDonagh was hardly a fallback option. The general belief is that McDonagh might prove to be a better fit within the Lightning system. McDonagh, who might be ready to play in Tuesday’s game against the Florida Panthers, is considered to be the better shutdown guy who has the more well-rounded game than Karlsson. “McDonagh is one of the most well-rounded defensemen in the league,” said two-time Stanley Cup-winning defenseman Brian Engblom, the Lightning’s Fox Sports Sun color analyst. “He’s a No. 1 on any team — a 1A-1B with Victor Hedman, and that’s only because Victor is Victor. (McDonagh) thinks about the right net first. “That doesn’t mean he’s not good passing the puck or making plays. He can play in any situation. He’s really mobile, really smart. He covers up a lot of mistakes by other people. He’s pretty much everything you want to list in an all-around defenseman.”
  • Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price skated for the first time since suffering a condition on Feb. 22, according to TVA Sports Renaud Lavoie. While he still has a ways to go, the hope is that Price will be able to practice with the team soon. Price has had a tough season as the 30-year-old has struggled with injuries. He has a 2.98 GAA and a .904 save percentage, which is not great for a goalie whose eight-year, $84MM extension kicks in next season.
  • Postmedia’s Kristen Anderson writes that Calgary Flames winger Micheal Ferland will return to action on Monday on the team’s top line against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Ferland, who is having a breakout season, has missed the last four games with an undisclosed injury. He has 20 goals and 14 assists this season, a career-best.

Calgary Flames| Florida Panthers| Injury| KHL| Mike Babcock| Montreal Canadiens| Snapshots| Tampa Bay Lightning| Toronto Maple Leafs Andreas Borgman| Auston Matthews| Calle Rosen| Carey Price| Erik Karlsson| Frederik Gauthier| Ilya Kovalchuk| James van Riemsdyk| Joe Thornton| Micheal Ferland| Mitch Marner| Patrick Marleau

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Western Notes: Yeo, Bouwmeester, Nugent-Hopkins, Tolvanen, Kamenev, Bernier

March 3, 2018 at 5:34 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

While they’ve hardly been eliminated from the playoffs, the St. Louis Blues are definitely having a disappointing season. With that in mind, the St. Louis Blues are likely to make some changes this offseason. The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford (subscription required) writes in a mailbag column that one change that shouldn’t happen is a coaching change. While the coach always must be held accountable for his actions, the scribe writes that it’s too early to push all the team’s failings on head coach Mike Yeo, who has only been with the team a little more than a year. Many of the leadership and chemistry issues that the team has were already there before Yeo got there.

While Rutherford does admit it’s disturbing that Yeo’s last coaching stint with the Minnesota Wild had many of the same issues, Yeo deserves more time to right the ship, which might require some personnel changes on the ice as many players are not pulling their weight.

One other issue is the team has struggled with key injuries to key players. The team failed to find an offensive replacement when Robby Fabbri or Jaden Schwartz were injured. In fact in 20 games without Schwartz, the team was 9-10-1.

  • In the same piece, Rutherford writes that while many people would like the team to buyout players who are struggling in St. Louis like Patrik Berglund, Jake Allen and Alex Steen, that won’t happen this offseason. All of their contracts would be too expensive to buyout. Berglund’s buyout cost would be $9.7MM, Allen’s would be $9MM and Steen’s contract would cost them $10.6MM. The most likely buyout candidate might be defenseman Jay Bouwmeester, who would only cost the team $3.6MM and would count just $1.8MM against the cap for the next two years.
  • The Edmonton Oilers announced they have activated center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins off of injured reserve Saturday. The 24-year-old has been out since Jan. 13 with a rib injury. While the former first overall pick will not be rejoining a team headed for the playoffs, he might bring up his own value with a good end of the season. Nugent-Hopkins could be a legitimate trade candidate this offseason. He was having a solid season in which he had 16 goals and 31 points in 46 games. With teams being desperate for centers and the Oilers having quite a few of them, they might find a taker for him.
  • The Eeli Tolvanen countdown continues as the Nashville Predators are awaiting their top prospect after his KHL team wraps up their season. The Tennessean’s Adam Vingan writes that Tolvanen’s team, Jokerit, opened their first-round playoff series Saturday with a double-overtime loss. The earliest possible day for Jokerit to be eliminated would be this Wednesday. If so, Tolvanen could join Nashville for their remainder of the season and the playoffs if they feel he can contribute. Of course, the Predators are loaded with depth since the trade deadline after acquiring Ryan Hartman and signing Mike Fisher.
  • Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said that Vladislav Kamenev, who has been out with a broken arm since November after being injured in his first game for the Avalanche, has been cleared and might be assigned to the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL in the next couple of days for a conditioning assignment, according to Denver Post’s Mike Chambers. Kamenev, who was acquired on Nov. 6 in the three-team trade between Colorado, Ottawa and Nashville involving Kyle Turris and Matt Duchene, was injured while playing in his first game with Colorado. A key prospect included in the Avalanche’s haul for moving Duchene, Kamenev has played just 14 AHL games this year, having totaled three goals and nine assists. His return is just another talented player ready to step into the Avalanche’s lineup.
  • Chambers also mentioned in the same tweet that goalie Jonathan Bernier has also been cleared after suffering a concussion on Feb. 16. The Avalanche added that he was a full participant in practice Saturday and is expected to be activated soon.

AHL| Colorado Avalanche| Edmonton Oilers| Injury| Jared Bednar| KHL| Mike Yeo| Minnesota Wild| Nashville Predators| St. Louis Blues Alex Steen| Jaden Schwartz| Jake Allen| Jay Bouwmeester| Jonathan Bernier| Kyle Turris| Matt Duchene| Mike Fisher| Patrik Berglund

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Eastern Notes: Kane, Budaj, Sanheim, Reaves

March 3, 2018 at 3:52 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 2 Comments

Evander Kane has found a new home, at least for the rest of this year. While it’s too early to know whether he will stay in San Jose for the foreseeable future, the Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington writes that the Sharks might be the best fit for the 26-year-old personality. In a 10-point notebook on Kane, Harrington writes that what Kane really needs is to be on a veteran team who will tell him how things work, something that he did not have in Buffalo.

The Sharks, who are loaded in veterans such as Joe Thornton, Brent Burns, Joe Pavelski, Joel Ward and Marc-Edouard Vlasic, should be able to have some controlling effect on Kane. Thornton already proved that when the veteran picked Kane up from the airport in a limousine after the trade. He also writes that Kane already is showing off his speed with San Jose as he’s tallied up three assists in two games with the Sharks. That speed was not very apparent over the past couple of months in Buffalo, but the scribe writes that Kane was well aware Buffalo management wanted to move on from him and may have lost interest in sacrificing himself for the Sabres.

Harrington also adds that general manager Jason Botterill should have made a trade earlier when Kane was hot. Knowing his reputation, which only got worse in the last couple of months with his teammates, they never were likely to get the asking price that Botterill was demanding. In the end, it was quite obvious that only veteran teams showed interest in Kane as the runner-up at the deadline was the Anaheim Ducks.

Due to his reputation, Harrington wonders whether Kane will be forced to take a lesser deal this offseason. Players at his age and skill should be getting a long-term deals at $6-7MM, but Kane may be forced to accept something closer to a four-year term if teams continue to worry about his ability to co-exist with his teammates.

  • Tampa Bay Times’ Joe Smith tweets that Tampa Bay Lightning backup goalie Peter Budaj, who hasn’t played since Dec. 29, is really close to returning to the team. The team could have a decision to make, however, as emergency backup Louis Domingue has won four of his six starts and has played well for Tampa Bay. Domingue, who has a 3.29 GAA and a .905 save percentage would have to be officially recalled, however, if they want to keep the 25-year-old. The team has already used two of their four allotted recalls on Anthony Cirelli and Adam Erne, so the team may not want to use a third recall yet and might stick with Budaj. The 35-year-old has struggled with Tampa Bay this year, however, with a 3.80 GAA and a .878 save percentage.
  • John Boruk of NBC Sports Philadelphia writes that the Philadelphia Flyers talked to the Ottawa Senators right before the trade deadline about acquiring winger Mike Hoffman. The scribe writes that sources have said the Senators asked for a package that included defenseman Travis Sanheim and a first-round pick as a starting point. While a first-rounder (they have two of them this year) might have been a possibility, Sanheim proved to be the deal-breaker.
  • Providence Journal’s Mark Divver tweets that he spoke to a pro scout who believes the Pittsburgh Penguins made a mistake when they traded enforcer Ryan Reaves to the Vegas Golden Knights last week. While Reaves took a lot of criticism for his lack of offense with the Penguins, he provided the team with leadership and a physicality the team really needed. The scribe writes that the Penguins struggled when things got tough Thursday when they played the Boston Bruins.

Anaheim Ducks| Jason Botterill| Ottawa Senators| Philadelphia Flyers| Pittsburgh Penguins| San Jose Sharks| Tampa Bay Lightning| Vegas Golden Knights Adam Erne| Anthony Cirelli| Brent Burns| Evander Kane| Joe Pavelski| Joe Thornton| Joel Ward| Louis Domingue| Marc-Edouard Vlasic| Mike Hoffman| Peter Budaj

2 comments

Minor Transactions: 3/3/18

March 3, 2018 at 2:42 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

With an eight-game schedule set up for Saturday and another seven games scheduled for Sunday, teams might need to make some moves to fix their roster as teams are fighting for playoff spots.

  • With defenseman Victor Mete (hand) and winger Max Pacioretty (lower body injury) both returning to Montreal for further evaluation, the Montreal Canadiens recalled defenseman Rinat Valiev from the Toronto Marlies Saturday, according to CapFriendly. The 22-year-old defenseman was acquired last week from Toronto in the Tomas Plekanec deal. Stuck in Toronto behind a crowded depth chart, Valiev has a better chance to break into the NHL with the Canadiens. In 40 games with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL, he had five goals and 10 assists. He’s played just one game for the Laval Rocket, picking up an assist in that lone game. He is not expected to play today.

AHL| Injury| Montreal Canadiens| Transactions Max Pacioretty| Rinat Valiev| Tomas Plekanec| Victor Mete

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