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Archives for February 2019

Deadline Primer: New Jersey Devils

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With the trade deadline now just hours away, we wrap up our team-by-team breakdown with an assessment of the New Jersey Devils.

After a surprise run to the playoffs last season, expectations were reasonably high for the Devils coming into the season.  However, things have not gone well.  Taylor Hall has missed considerable time due to injury while their goaltending has been a major concern.  As a result, they will find themselves on the outside looking in at the postseason and will be looking to add some future assets over the coming hours.

Record

24-30-8, eighth in the Metropolitan Division

Deadline Status

Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$66.264MM in a full-season cap hit, 0/3 used salary cap retention slots, 46/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Upcoming Draft Picks

2019: NJ 1st, NJ 2nd, NSH 2nd, ANA 3rd, DAL 3rd, NJ 4th, NJ 5th, NJ 6th, NJ 7th
2020: NJ 1st, NJ 2nd, NJ 3rd, NJ 4th, NJ 5th, NJ 6th, NJ 7th

Trade Chips

Winger Marcus Johansson is another player that has dealt with injury troubles this season but he has been healthy (and quite productive) as of late.  Over the past month, he has six goals and six assists in 13 games and accordingly, reports have indicated that there is considerable interest in the 28-year-old.  Johansson, a pending unrestricted free agent, carries a cap hit of just under $4.6MM so it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Devils have to retain on his contract in order to maximize their return.  He isn’t among the top names available today but as a secondary scorer, he could make an important impact on a contender.  TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (Twitter link) that the asking price is a second-round pick.

Pavel Zacha is still just 21 but has yet to live up to his draft billing and even spent some time in the AHL earlier in the year before his waiver exemption ran out.  Accordingly, the pending RFA is a potential candidate to move in a swap of players that could benefit from a change of scenery.  Veteran winger Drew Stafford is a pending free agent and if there’s any interest in him, he’ll likely be on the move.  Winger Stefan Noesen has struggled to stay healthy this season and looks like a potential non-tender candidate with a $1.725MM qualifying offer due in June so it could be a case of moving him for something over potentially losing him for nothing in June.

Five Players To Watch For: F Marcus Johansson, F Stefan Noesen, F Drew Stafford, D Egor Yakovlev, F Pavel Zacha

Team Needs

1) Defense: While the Devils have made moves to upgrade their back end in recent years (such as adding Sami Vatanen and Will Butcher), it’s an area that still needs improvement both in terms of their current roster as well as their future depth.  If New Jersey looks to add already-drafted prospects instead of draft picks in their dealings today, expect them to prioritize adding blueline help.

2) Winger Depth: Beyond Hall, Kyle Palmieri, and to a lesser extent Jesper Bratt, there isn’t much firepower on the wing.  This is an area that could typically be addressed via free agency but New Jersey hasn’t had a lot of luck in that regard as of late.  Accordingly, it wouldn’t be entirely surprising to see them try to address that via the trade route.  That may be more of an offseason move but if a buy-low candidate presents itself, it wouldn’t be surprising to see GM Ray Shero look to add here.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Blue Jackets Acquire Keith Kinkaid

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The Blue Jackets have pulled off another trade and this time, it’s not with Ottawa.  Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman relays a Nick Kypreos report (via Twitter) that Columbus has acquired goalie Keith Kinkaid from New Jersey.  Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports adds (Twitter link) that New Jersey acquires a fifth-round pick in return while Craig Custance of The Athletic clarifies (via Twitter) that the pick is a 2022 selection.

Last season, Kinkaid was instrumental to New Jersey’s postseason push.  However, his numbers this year are the worst of his career and with Cory Schneider now healthy and MacKenzie Blackwood waiting in the wings, the pending UFA was actively being shopped.  In 41 games this season, he has a 3.36 GAA with a .891 SV%, numbers that are considerably worse than current Columbus netminders Sergei Bobrovsky and Joonas Korpisalo.  Despite that, GM Jarmo Kekalainen provided the rationale for the move in their team release on the trade:

While we believe goaltending is a position of strength for our club with Sergei Bobrovsky and Joonas Korpisalo, we thought it was important to add depth to the position.  Keith Kinkaid is an experienced National Hockey League goaltender who will provide that depth as we move through the final month of the regular season and into the spring.

The 29-year-old is in the final season of a two-year, $2.5MM contract and is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.  If he remains as the number three down the stretch for Columbus, that likely won’t be boosting his prospects in free agency.

Five Key Stories: 2/18/19 – 2/24/19

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With the trade deadline almost upon us, there was plenty of notable news around the league over the past seven days.

Coyle To Bruins: Boston had been linked to forward Charlie Coyle since the beginning of the season and they now have secured their target, acquiring him from the Wild in exchange for prospect winger Ryan Donato and a conditional 2019 fifth-round pick that moves up a round if Boston moves past the first round of the playoffs.  Coyle has had a bit of a down year in Minnesota but gives the Bruins some flexibility in their middle six while being signed at a reasonable $3.2MM AAV through next season.   Meanwhile, Donato has made an early impact with Minnesota, picking up four points over his first three games with the Wild including the overtime winner on Sunday night.

Ottawa/Columbus Moves: The first major trade domino fell as Ottawa moved center Matt Duchene to Columbus (along with defensive prospect Julius Bergman) in exchange for winger prospects Jonathan Davidsson and Vitali Abramov plus their first-round pick in 2019.  In addition, the Blue Jackets will surrender their 2020 first-round selection if the pending UFA re-signs with the club.  Duchene was unable to come to terms on an extension with Ottawa and will now play out the season alongside a notable pending UFA in Artemi Panarin as the Blue Jackets appear to be set to try to make a deep postseason run.  Abramov was a dominant scorer in the QMJHL but hasn’t had much success yet this season in his first crack at the minors while Davidsson is having a strong season in the SHL and will likely make the jump to North America next season.  One day later, the Blue Jackets added Duchene’s winger in Ryan Dzingel along with Calgary’s 2019 seventh-rounder in exchange for winger Anthony Duclair plus second-round selections in 2020 and 2021.  Dzingel also turned down a long-term extension offer from Ottawa and is in the middle of a career year; his chemistry with Duchene should come in handy down the stretch.  Meanwhile, Duclair did not fare particularly well with Columbus and should get more of an opportunity in Ottawa with their forward group getting thinned out quickly.

Silfverberg To Stay Put: Anaheim’s most prominent rental player will be sticking with the Ducks after all.  He has agreed to terms on a five-year extension that’s believed to be worth roughly $5.25MM per year.  However, the deal can’t be made official until next month when the restrictions on the tagging rule are loosened; Anaheim will use the 10% cushion to make the deal official at that time.  Silfverberg’s point total is down considerably this season but he also leads the team in goals with 16 through 53 games.  As a result of the deal, the Ducks had over $78MM tied up in just 16 players for next season so a cost-cutting move was expected to be on the horizon (and it didn’t take too long for it to happen).

Montour To Buffalo: The Sabres likely will fall short of making the postseason this year but that hasn’t stopped them from making a splash as they’re added defenseman Brandon Montour from Anaheim in exchange for Brandon Guhle and a 2019 first-round pick (SJ or STL).  Montour still has three years of team control after this one and should be an important part of Buffalo’s core for a while.  Meanwhile, the Ducks free up some much-needed cap room for the next couple of years while adding a decent prospect in Guhle plus a high draft pick to jump-start their retooling.

Zuccarello To Dallas, Gets Injured: The Stars made a splash up front, acquiring winger Mats Zuccarello from the Rangers in exchange for a 2019 conditional second-round pick and a 2020 conditional third rounder.  The 2019 pick becomes a first-rounder if Dallas wins two playoff rounds while the 2020 pick will convert to a first if Zuccarello re-signs with them.  The optimism from the move was short-lived, however.  He picked up a pair of points in his Dallas debut but also suffered a significant arm injury that will keep him out for at least a point and could require surgery.

And with the flurry of weekend moves, here’s one more bonus story.

Nyquist To San Jose: Sharks GM Doug Wilson stated earlier in the year that he was open to acquiring another rental as they are clearly in win-now mode.  He stayed true to his word as San Jose picked up Gustav Nyquist from Detroit in exchange for a 2019 second-round pick and a conditional 2020 third-round selection (that upgrades to a second rounder if the winger re-signs).  Detroit is also retaining 30% of Nyquist’s $4.75MM cap hit.  The 29-year-old is just five points shy of his career high of 54 and will make an already deep attack even more potent.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Ottawa Senators Acquire Brian Gibbons

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After sending out several forwards over the last few days, the Ottawa Senators have brought another back in. The team has acquired Brian Gibbons from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for minor league defenseman Patrick Sieloff. Gibbons is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and carries a $1MM full-season cap hit.

Gibbons, 30, experienced some unprecedented success with the New Jersey Devils last season, recorded 12 goals and 26 points in just 59 games. That kind of offensive production wasn’t expected given that he had just 22 NHL points to his name previously, and he hasn’t been able to replicate it this year. In 44 games for the Ducks, Gibbons has recorded just five points while averaging just over ten minutes of ice time per game. He cleared waivers earlier this month and was assigned to the minor leagues just a few days ago, though the Senators have already announced he will be joining their NHL squad in time for Tuesday’s game against the Washington Capitals.

With Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel already gone, the Senators are also expected to move Mark Stone and Mikkel Boedker before tomorrow’s deadline and will need some bodies to fill the roster card for the rest of the year. Gibbons is a versatile forward, though he isn’t expected to make a huge impact down the stretch.

Sieloff meanwhile is a 24-year old defenseman just waiting for a chance at the NHL level. Originally selected in the second round by the Calgary Flames in 2014, the physical defender has suited up just twice at the highest level. Amazingly he scored in each of those games for the Flames and Senators respectively, leading to an interesting stat that he alone holds. There is little reason to believe that he will be an impact player at the NHL level for the Ducks. Sieloff is under contract through next season, after which he would become a Group VI unrestricted free agent if he does not play in 78 more NHL games.

San Jose Sharks Acquire Gustav Nyquist

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The San Jose Sharks must have liked what they saw today in Gustav Nyquist’s game. The team has acquired him from the Detroit Red Wings after seeing him in person today in exchange for a 2019 second-round pick and 2020 conditional third-round pick. Nyquist scored one goal and recorded eight shots in more than 20 minutes of ice time in a 5-3 loss against the Sharks. In order to complete the trade, Nyquist was required to waive his full no-trade clause. If the Sharks reach the Stanley Cup Final this season or re-sign Nyquist, the 2020 pick will become a second-round selection.

Nyquist, 29, now has 16 goals and 49 points on the season and is closing in on his career-high of 54 set back in 2014-15. The talented winger was perhaps the best expiring contract the Red Wings have left after already sending Nick Jensen to Washington, and they will gather even more assets for their rebuild with this trade. The veteran forward comes with a $4.75MM full season cap hit, though his actual salary is even more. This season Nyquist is earning $5.5MM of the $19MM he signed for in 2015, though Detroit will be retaining 30% of his remaining contract.

Over the last few seasons the Red Wings have consistently turned their former core players into younger or future assets as they look towards Dylan Larkin to lead the next wave of talent. Nyquist, Jensen, Tomas Tatar, Petr Mrazek, Riley Sheahan, Brendan Smith, and Thomas Vanek (who eventually re-signed in Detroit) have all been shipped out since the beginning of 2017 for a total of eleven draft picks all in the first three rounds. That kind of turnover is allowing the team to rebuild through their own development system, though they so far have not experienced much on-ice success in terms of the NHL standings. Detroit once again is expected to finish near the bottom of the league and should be selecting in the first half of the round in June’s draft.

For the Sharks, adding another offensive talent like Nyquist is just another sign that they believe they can compete for the Stanley Cup this season. The team had already spent big on Erik Karlsson in the offseason but had been open about the fact that they were willing to shop in the rental market. Remember though, GM Doug Wilson often extends the players he goes after through trade, most recently with Evander Kane. Nyquist ended up at #14 on our Midseason UFA Power Rankings, and with a career year and potential long playoff experience is setting himself up for a big pay day.

With the win today, San Jose will wake up tomorrow with the third-best record in the entire NHL at 37-18-8 and armed with another talented player to insert into the lineup. Nyquist has experience on both wings and has previous success on the powerplay. Unfortunately there is still a question mark about his playoff performance to date. In 35 games Nyquist has recorded just eight points, though obviously that could change with the new uniform. That’s what the Sharks are hoping for, as they push all of their chips to the middle of the table.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Wild Shopping Jason Zucker

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As Minnesota looks to continue to reshape their roster, one player that hasn’t received a lot of attention yet is Jason Zucker.  However, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the Wild are heavily shopping the winger.

Last season, the 27-year-old had a career season with 33 goals and 31 assists and it looked like he had taken that big step forward towards becoming an impact scorer on a near-nightly basis.  GM Paul Fenton clearly thought this was the case as well as he signed Zucker to a five-year, $27.5MM extension last summer, one that bought out his final season of RFA eligibility plus four UFA years.

However, things haven’t gone anywhere near as well in 2018-19.  He has just 14 goals and 16 helpers so far this season through 61 games heading into play tonight.  While those aren’t terrible numbers in general, Minnesota is paying him to be a top-six producer and more often than not, it hasn’t been the case.

While that alone could be a reason to try to get out of the deal now, Zucker’s contract carries a ten-team no-trade clause as of July 1st that Fenton may not want to have to contend with.

The question here for the Wild is whether it’s worth selling him when his value is down.  While there should be several suitors for him – mid-tier teams looking to make ‘hockey deals’ could very well be in the mix as well as the contenders – they’re not in a spot to leverage a significant return given Zucker’s performance this season.  However, clearing that contract off their books would give Minnesota a lot more salary cap flexibility over the next several years which Fenton will have to factor in as well.  If they do decide to move him, Zucker could certainly be an intriguing buy-low candidate for someone.

Deadline Primer: New York Rangers

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With the trade deadline almost here, we continue our 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?  As we continue previewing the Metropolitan Division, here is a look at the New York Rangers.

2018-19 hasn’t been the best of seasons for the Rangers but they were certainly ready for it after announcing their long-term rebuilding plans last year.  While they haven’t had a ton of success in the standings, several young players have had strong campaigns so it has been a decent season from a development perspective.  Even so, their situation is well-defined as they’ll be continuing to sell off assets.

Record

27-26-9, seventh in the Metropolitan Division

Deadline Status

Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$11.971MM in a full-season cap hit, 2/3 used salary cap retention slots, 43/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Upcoming Draft Picks

2019: NYR 1st, DAL 2nd*, NYR 2nd, TB 2nd^, NYR 3rd, NYR 5th, NYR 6th
2020: NYR 1st, NYR 2nd, DAL 3rd*, NYR 3rd, NYR 4th, NYR 5th, NYR 6th, NYR 7th, NSH 7th, VAN 7th

* – If Dallas wins two playoff rounds this year, the 2019 conditional pick becomes a first rounder.  If Mats Zuccarello re-signs with Dallas, the 2020 conditional pick becomes a first rounder.

^ – If Tampa Bay wins the Stanley Cup this season, this pick becomes a first rounder.

Trade Chips

Kevin Hayes is known to be on the market and has sat the last two games in advance of a move.  The pending unrestricted free agent is in the midst of a career year and has already collected 14 goals and 28 assists in just 51 games while averaging nearly 20 minutes of ice time per game.  He is believed to be the best rental center available for trade after failing to come to terms on a long-term contract extension.  He has a $5.175MM cap hit and salary this season and was seeking a notable raise on a long-term deal to stay with the Rangers.  That might make it tricky for an acquiring team to sign an extension right away so similar to the Zuccarello deal, it’s likely there will be a 2020 draft pick that’s contingent on whether or not Hayes signs with the acquiring team.

The rental market isn’t very deep for defense which makes Adam McQuaid a little more appealing.  The Rangers acquired the veteran back in September for fourth and seventh rounders (along with depth blueliner Steven Kampfer) and given the lack of options, there’s a decent chance that New York will be able to match or even beat that return.

Winger Chris Kreider and defenseman Brady Skjei have also garnered a lot of interest but the odds of dealing them are lower.  Kreider has another year left on his deal and may make more sense as an offseason move while Skjei is in the first season of a six-year, $31.5MM contract and hasn’t had the best of seasons.  It would take a substantial offer for either to move.  Wingers Vladislav Namestnikov and Jimmy Vesey have also been in speculation and may have a better chance to move.

Five Players To Watch For: F Kevin Hayes, D Adam McQuaid, F Vladislav Namestnikov, D Rob O’Gara, F Jimmy Vesey

Team Needs

1) Top Defense Prospects: The Rangers have added quite a few young defenders already in trades (plus two more with first-round picks in June) but none of them really project to be top-pairing players.  While the sheer quantity of their additions will give them some NHL assets, they could really stand to dangle some of those along with a veteran or two in the hopes of adding someone that should be able to lock down a top-four spot in the near future.

2) Young Wingers: With Mika Zibanejad and rookies Brett Howden, Filip Chytil, and Lias Andersson, the center position in New York is in solid shape for the future.  The depth on the wing isn’t as strong.  While there are some young players in that group already, again, none really project as top-end players aside from 2018 first-rounder Vitali Kravtsov, who is still a little while away from being NHL-ready.  Whether it’s with their upcoming draft picks or their pending trades, that’s something they’re likely going to address in the near future.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Maple Leafs Acquire Nicholas Baptiste

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Nicholas Baptiste is on the move again.  After being dealt to Nashville at the end of the preseason, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (Twitter link) that he has once again been dealt, this time to Toronto.  The Predators’ announcement of the move indicates that the deal is for future considerations.  In a related move, the Toronto Marlies announced (via Twitter) that they have dealt ECHL winger Emerson Clark to Milwaukee (Nashville’s AHL affiliate) for future considerations.

The 23-year-old cleared waivers back in training camp and has spent the entire season at the AHL level following the move to the Predators.  In 50 games with Milwaukee, he has ten goals and ten assists.

Baptiste did spend nearly half of 2017-18 in the NHL with Buffalo where he played on their fourth line, collecting four goals and two assists in 33 games while averaging just shy of ten minutes a game.  That was enough to earn him a qualifying offer of just over $787K which he accepted back in mid-July.  However, given Toronto’s depth, it’s unlikely that he’ll return to the NHL this season.  Instead, he’ll serve as some extra insurance for the Marlies as they continue to battle for a playoff spot in the tight North Division.

Capitals Sign Parker Milner

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As several other teams did earlier today, the Capitals have inked one of their minor league goalies to an NHL contract as Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports (Twitter link) that they’ve signed Parker Milner to a one-year, two-way deal.  Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed.

The 28-year-old has spent the season between Washington’s two minor league affiliates, predominantly with South Carolina of the ECHL where he has a 3.12 GAA and a .907 SV% in 25 appearances.  He also has suited up in three contests with AHL Hershey.

Milner had a strong NCAA career with Boston College but he hasn’t had much success in the pros since then.  This is his sixth full professional season but he has yet to see the NHL level while only playing 29 AHL contests; the majority of those six years have been spent in the ECHL.  However, Washington only had four goalies on NHL contracts so this gives them a little bit more flexibility if injuries strike down the stretch.

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