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Archives for January 2019

Los Angeles Kings In “Listening Mode” On Jake Muzzin

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The Los Angeles Kings have had a season to forget in 2018-19, sitting last in the entire NHL with just 40 points in their first 47 games. A lot of that failure is due to a lack of scoring as the Kings have only recorded 107 goals in those games, meaning any pieces they sell off at the deadline could very well come from the blue line instead. Of the available players, Jake Muzzin and Alec Martinez stand out as potential top-four options that the team could give away to the highest bidder.

We learned earlier this month that Martinez could likely be had for a second-round pick and a good prospect, but it wasn’t clear exactly what the Kings were after in exchange for Muzzin outside of a first-round pick. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) now reports that the Kings are in “listening mode” on Muzzin and that the asking price is that first-round pick and an additional prospect. LeBrun is quick to point out that the Kings don’t have to move Muzzin, as he’s on a good contract for next season at just $4MM and has put together a successful season.

Still, for teams looking for an upgrade on defense there certainly seems to be a deal to be made in Los Angeles. The idea of adding even both of Martinez and Muzzin for a couple of draft picks and two prospects seems more than reasonable, especially considering that the duo only cost $8MM combined for next season (Martinez’ deal extends through 2020-21). It’s also important to note that neither has any trade protection, and can’t stop the team from dealing them.

Muzzin especially is a bargain at his $4MM cap hit. The 29-year old is logging more than 21 minutes once again for the Kings and comes in right behind Drew Doughty in scoring from the blue line with 20 points on the year. He leads in both blocked shots (85) and hits (108) while regularly contributing on both the powerplay and penalty kill. That kind of versatility and impact is incredibly difficult to find in today’s game, meaning there will be plenty of interest in Muzzin when the deadline rolls around.

Calgary Flames To Retire Jarome Iginla’s Number

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The Calgary Flames have decided that later this season Jarome Iginla’s #12 will be raised to the rafters at the Scotiabank Saddledome on March 2nd, never to be worn again. Iginla announced his retirement as a player last June, after struggling through injuries for a year trying to get back on the ice.

Though the Flames have had many of the NHL’s Hall of Fame talents come through their locker room, it is fitting that Iginla is next to receive the honor. There is perhaps no other player who embodies the franchise at this point more than him, despite not being involved in the organization’s lone Stanley Cup. Iginla is the franchise leader in games played (1,219), goals (525) and points (1,095) and served as the team captain for nine seasons—longer than any other player.

In 2003-2004, his first season as captain, Iginla would take the Flames all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. After controversy surrounded a no-goal call in game six, the Flames would ultimately lose to the Tampa Bay Lightning and Iginla would never again get that close to an NHL championship. Despite never hoisting the league chalice, Iginla did plenty of winning during his long career.

First in junior where he took the Kamloops Blazers twice to a Memorial Cup, and then on the international stage where he collected gold medals at the World Juniors, World Cup, World Championship and Olympics (twice). He would twice take home the Maurice Richard trophy as the NHL’s top goal scorer, and won both the Art Ross and Ted Lindsay trophies in 2002 as the league’s top scorer and peer-voted best player. Iginla will surely be headed to the Hall of Fame when eligible, and will never watch another player wear #12 in Calgary.

Minor Transactions: 01/17/19

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Though the NHL has just seven games on the schedule for this evening, there are two can’t-miss matchups taking place. First, the Toronto Maple Leafs try to right the ship against the league leading Tampa Bay Lightning. Toronto have been passed by both the Washington Capitals and Columbus Blue Jackets in the Eastern Conference standings, but could get back to second place with a win. Next, the Winnipeg Jets and Nashville Predators take part in a battle for the Central Division as the two clubs remain just two points apart in the standings. As those four clubs and the rest of the league prepare, we’ll be right here keeping track of all the minor moves.

  • The Montreal Canadiens have recalled Karl Alzner as expected, and will bring him along on their trip to Columbus. Alzner played in last night’s Laval Rocket game, but failed to record a point in a 4-2 win.
  • Anthony Stolarz has been activated from injured reserve and loaned to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, where he will serve a conditioning stint as he tries to get healthy. The Philadelphia Flyers goaltender could very well serve in a tandem with Carter Hart for the rest of the season to really give the Flyers a good look at what he could bring to the table next season. Stolarz is a restricted free agent at the end of the year.
  • Jason Dickinson has been activated from injured reserve and took part in practice today for the Dallas Stars and will be in the lineup tonight. Dickinson will skate alongside Jason Spezza and newcomer Andrew Cogliano.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have recalled Tanner Kero from the AHL as insurance for Bo Horvat who is dealing with a minor injury. Kero has been one of the best forwards all season for the Utica Comets, but is still waiting for his chance to impress the Canucks front office at the NHL level.
  • With Curtis McElhinney needing a few days off to nurse a knee injury, the Carolina Hurricanes have recalled minor league goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic from the Charlotte Checkers. Nedeljkovic has been outstanding for the Checkers this season with a league-leading 20 wins and just five losses.
  • MacKenzie Weegar has been moved to injured reserve after suffering a concussion on the hit that earned Paul Byron a suspension, so the Florida Panthers have recalled defenseman Josh Brown. Brown has yet to make his NHL debut, and has just three points (all goals) for the Springfield Thunderbirds this season.

Josh Norris To Miss Remainder Of College Season

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Though just nominated for the Hobey Baker yesterday, Ottawa Senators prospect Josh Norris will not play again this season for the University of Michigan. According to Brad Galli of WXYZ Detroit, Norris suffered an injury at the World Juniors that will keep him out for the remainder of the season. The 19-year old was in his sophomore season with the Wolverines, and had 19 points in 17 games.

The question now becomes whether the Senators will try to convince Norris to leave college and sign his first pro contract, given his apparent readiness to contribute next season. Acquired from the San Jose Sharks as part of the Erik Karlsson trade, Norris was first selected as the 19th overall pick in the 2017 draft. After a solid freshman season he had been arguably the best forward on the Michigan roster for the first part of the season and looked ready to make the jump to professional hockey. Whether that will be in Ottawa next season is likely a big selling point, as he very well could choose to stay in college instead of playing in the minor leagues.

Ottawa though will likely have plenty of opportunity in 2019-20 for a player like Norris. A two-way center with enough size and strength to compete all over the ice, he has grown into his playmaking potential over the last year and could look extremely dangerous next to offensive wingers like Brady Tkachuk or Mark Stone. Given the uncertainty around the future of center Matt Duchene, the team could have a young replacement ready to step into some of those minutes if they can convince Norris to leave school.

Anaheim Ducks Trade Luke Schenn, Joseph Blandisi In Separate Moves

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The Anaheim Ducks have continued to make minor moves to adjust the fringes of their roster, and were involved in two more trades in the early morning hours. First the team sent Luke Schenn and a 2020 seventh-round pick to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Michael Del Zotto, before then acquiring Derek Grant from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Joseph Blandisi. The Ducks have been involved in four of the last five trades in the NHL as they try to find some sort of fix to their disastrous season.

Anaheim is mired in an incredible 12-game losing streak at the moment and has thrown away any of the success that they found in the first part of the season. While John Gibson was at one point enough to carry them through to wins, the team is now falling faster in the standings than any other NHL team and will soon find themselves closer to a draft lottery spot than the playoffs if they can’t turn things around. The team has now recently sent out Schenn, Blandisi, Pontus Aberg and Andrew Cogliano while bringing up young talent like Troy Terry and Max Jones.

None of those moves though really strike at the core of the Ducks, something that might end up coming closer to the trade deadline or in the summer. Both Del Zotto and Grant are short-term fixes given their status as pending unrestricted free agents, something that can’t really be said about many other players on their roster. Jakob Silfverberg and Ryan Miller are the only two impact UFAs that the Ducks really have to send packing at the deadline, and both are currently on injured reserve. If the team is looking to sell at the deadline they’ll have to find teams willing to take on some term.

For the Canucks, there was little chance that Del Zotto would be coming back. The high-risk defenseman had seen his role on the team diminished greatly and with the likes of Quinn Hughes and Olli Juolevi expected to challenge for full-time roles on the team next year there wasn’t any room left. Now 28, Del Zotto has had a roller coaster of a career, at times looking like a front line puck mover and at others struggling to stay in an NHL lineup. If he isn’t re-signed by the Ducks—or whoever they flip him to if that decision is made—there will likely be several teams interested in giving him another chance in the offseason.

As for the Penguins, acquiring Blandisi gives them another option down the middle if they decide to move on from Derick Brassard. While the acquisition doesn’t necessarily mean that a Brassard deal is imminent, several reports have come out recently that he will be sent somewhere else before the deadline. Blandisi has played only 74 games at the NHL level, but is a good offensive player and could perhaps fill a role in the Pittsburgh bottom-six.

Panthers Willing To Trade Mark Pysyk

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Earlier today, it was reported that the Panthers are willing to deal defenseman Bogdan Kiselevich.  It turns out that he’s not the only rearguard that can be had.  In his latest 31 Thoughts column, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Florida is also open to trading blueliner Mark Pysyk.

This has not been a particularly strong season for the 27-year-old.  He suffered an upper-body injury less than two weeks into the year and then sat for several games after receiving medical clearance to return.  When Pysyk has played, he hasn’t had a significant impact – he’s logging just 17:43 per night of ice time, his lowest since joining Florida in 2016-17.

It wasn’t that long ago that Pysyk was viewed as a key part of the Panthers’ back end for the long haul, so much so that they opted to leave winger Jon Marchessault unprotected over him in the Vegas Expansion Draft.  Suffice it to say, they’d likely a mulligan on that one.  Which Marchessault has gone on to be one of the Golden Knights’ top offensive players, Pysyk has settled into more of a depth defender role.

As a right-shot defender, Pysyk should attract some interest as finding regular players on that side can be difficult at times.  However, his contract will be an issue for some teams.  He’s in the second season of a three-year, $8.2MM deal and an AAV of $2.73MM may be too high for someone that is likely to be a third pairing player elsewhere.  On top of that, the contract is backloaded and he is owed $3.5MM in salary for 2019-20.

With Florida currently sitting 14 points out of a playoff spot, it appears they’re likely to be sellers before the February 25th trade deadline.  With Kiselevich and now Pysyk available, it appears they’ll be looking to make some tweaks to their back end between now and then.

Maple Leafs Open To Dealing Their First Round Pick

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In recent years, the Maple Leafs have been looking to build through the draft and have held onto their top pick.  That may not be the case this season, however.  In the latest TSN Insider Trading (video link), Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reported that GM Kyle Dubas is open to moving his first rounder between now and the trade deadline.

TSN’s Bob McKenzie followed up on that report in an appearance on TSN 1050 (audio link), noting that their target would be an impact defenseman and that it’s likely that one of their young wingers in Kasperi Kapanen or Andreas Johnsson would be gone as a part of any deal as well.

Making a deal like that would certainly involve a defender that is either signed or is under team control for multiple years which falls in line with Dubas’ stated preference to avoid the rental market.  It would also give them some insurance for next season as it’s unlikely that they will be able to retain pending unrestricted free agent Jake Gardiner.

Both Kapanen and Johnsson are slated to become restricted free agents this summer with the latter also having salary arbitration eligibility.  Kapanen sits fifth on the team in scoring with 28 points in 45 games and is set to earn a sizable raise on his entry-level salary of just over $830K.  With Toronto’s other prominent RFAs this summer in Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews, they may not be able to afford to give Kapanen that type of pay increase.

Johnsson had a quiet start to the year but is up to a respectable 21 points in 40 contests.  Between that and the arbitration eligibility, he’ll certainly earn more than his current $787K salary but likely not as much as Kapanen would be able to get.

A package of one of those youngsters plus Toronto’s first rounder may be enticing to some rebuilding teams and with the Maple Leafs looking to shore up their back end, that may be enough to land a blueliner of note as they look to make a push in the Eastern Conference.

Brandon Bollig Announces His Retirement

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Winger Brandon Bollig has decided to call it a career.  In an announcement on his Instagram page, the veteran revealed that he is hanging up his skates at the age of 31.

Bollig was an effective energy player for several years in the Chicago organization after signing him as an undrafted free agent out of St. Lawrence University back in 2010.  He made his NHL debut in the 2011-12 season and two years later, became a regular with the Blackhawks, playing in all 82 regular season games as well as 15 playoff contests.

That caught the eye of Calgary, who moved a third-round pick in 2014 to acquire him.  He spent three years with the Flames, two in the NHL and one with their AHL affiliate in Stockton.  He then joined the Sharks as a free agent in 2017 before being dealt to Nashville in advance of the trade deadline last season.  However, he remained in the AHL with both organizations and did not sign anywhere after becoming a free agent back in July.

Overall, Bollig played in 241 games at the NHL level, collecting 23 points along with 392 penalty minutes.  He also suited up in 272 AHL contests, meaning that he carved out a career of over 500 professional games played, a pretty good showing for an undrafted player.

Nathan Beaulieu Requests A Trade

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Sabres defenseman Nathan Beaulieu has asked to be traded, reports TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie (Twitter link).  He’s slated to be a healthy scratch tonight against Calgary, something that has been a recent occurrence as of late.

The 26-year-old is in his second season with Buffalo after being acquired from Montreal just before the protection lists for the Vegas Expansion Draft were due.  At the time, the hope was that an opportunity for more ice time elsewhere would help him unlock the potential he had shown, allowing him to become a top-four defenseman.  Unfortunately for Beaulieu and the Sabres, that hasn’t happened.

Last year, he dealt with a concussion and multiple illnesses while spending time as a healthy scratch.  As a result, he put up just nine points in 59 games, well below the 28 he had tallied in his final season with the Canadiens.  On top of that, his playing time dropped from 19:29 per game in Montreal to less than 16 minutes a night with Buffalo.

This season, things haven’t gone much better.  His hold on a spot on the lineup continues to be tenuous and he has been a frequent scratch once again.  Beaulieu has played in just 26 games this season and while he has been a bit better offensively (his 0.27 point per game average equals his average from his time in Montreal), his ice time has dropped to just 14:46 per night.  Clearly, he doesn’t have the confidence of the coaching staff.

Beaulieu is in the second and final season of a two-year, $4.8MM contract that he signed shortly after being acquired.  He’s owed a qualifying offer of $2.5MM this summer and has arbitration eligibility.  As things stand, it appears to be highly unlikely that Buffalo will tender him an offer so the trade request has been made in the hopes of restoring his value somewhere else.  Given his limited role, there probably won’t be many suitors but a team looking for some mobility on the back end may be inclined to take a flyer on him.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

The Next World Cup Of Hockey Will Not Be Held In 2020

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In recent weeks, the NHL and NHLPA have been involved in discussions regarding the next World Cup of Hockey with the two sides aiming to hold the event in September of 2020, four years since the event was last held.  However, that will not be the case.  The NHLPA released a statement (Twitter link) indicating that while both sides are interested in holding another event, next September would be too soon for it to happen.

The players are focused on finding the proper time to schedule the World Cup of Hockey within the context of an overall international hockey calendar.  While we and the league have discussed the possibility of holding the next World Cup in September 2020, we jointly concluded that it is unrealistic to expect that preparations for the event would be completed in time. 

We look forward to continuing our discussions with the league.

There was always a risk to running this in September of 2020 with the potential threat of another work stoppage as both sides can opt out of the current CBA this coming September, a move that would end the agreement following the 2019-20 campaign.  With no agreement on an extension or an understanding that both sides wouldn’t opt out, this announcement shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise.

Instead, the two sides will work to schedule this at another time within the framework of an international calendar (that likely will include more overseas NHL games and at least some discussion of returning to the Olympics) while it remains to be seen if there will be any further CBA talks scheduled after both sides met briefly last week.

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