Archives for January 2020

Eastern Notes: Georgiev, Kravtsov, Matthews, Green

January 25, 2020 at 8:57 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 4 Comments

The New York Rangers have a lot going on as the trade deadline nears, but the team does know that with three goaltenders on the roster, they are going to be forced to move one by the deadline. In fact, unless something extraordinary happens, that goaltender will be Alexandar Georgiev.

However, Larry Brooks of the New York Post writes that the Rangers shouldn’t even wait until the trade deadline to move Georgiev. The team needs to move him now while teams are still looking for goaltending as well as the fact that there is no reason to play three goalies at once. Veteran Henrik Lundqvist has played just once since Jan. 2, while Igor Shesterkin has proved his worth and both need regular playing time with Lundqvist there to help Shesterkin out.

One other issue is that Georgiev hasn’t been that good. Since Dec. 12, Georgiev has just a 4-5 record with a 3.78 GAA and a .882 save percentage. Brooks feels the team needs to get what it can now just in case he becomes untradeable in the near future and are forced to trade him for just a second or third-rounder.

Sticking with the Rangers, The Athletic’s Rick Carpiniello (subscription required) writes that prospect Vitaly Kravtsov, the team’s 2018 first-round pick, has been developing nicely since the team convinced him to return from the KHL. Kravtsov has had a rough road this year, failing to make the NHL squad out of training camp, being sent to their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, then opting to return to the KHL, where they demoted him to their junior league. “I think there was, one, disappointment from (being demoted by) the Rangers, and two, the uncertainty of what’s best,” said Hartford coach Kris Knoblauch. “I’m sure he was getting some direction about playing in Russia, and maybe Hartford wasn’t best. … But since he’s come back to us, his attitude has been outstanding. He’s worked really hard. He’s wanting to learn. He’s playing the right way. So we’re happy to have him.”
The Star’s Kevin McGran writes that Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews, who skipped the All-Star Game due to a wrist injury, is expected to be back in the lineup on Monday for the team’s game against the Nashville Predators. Matthews didn’t miss any regular season games due to the injury and because he attended the all-star event in St. Louis, will not face the one-game suspension that many others opted for.
NBC Sports’ J.J. Regan suggests that Washington Capitals’ fans shouldn’t expect the Capitals to re-acquire former defenseman and current Detroit Red Wing Mike Green, who is on the trade block as the trade deadline approaches. The scribe writes that the Capitals are loaded in right-handed defensemen, so adding the right-handed Green wouldn’t make any sense for a team that needs a top-four left-hander.

Trade Candidate: Chris Kreider

January 25, 2020 at 7:30 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 3 Comments

With the trade deadline quickly approaching, we continue to profile players in the weeks ahead that have a good chance to be dealt by February 24th.

The New York Rangers find themselves in quite the dilemma as one of their top players for the last several years, Chris Kreider, finds himself ready to hit unrestricted free agency on July 1, and the team has to decide what to do with him. As of now, most indications are that the Rangers and Kreider haven’t gotten very far in extension talks and the general belief is that New York intends to trade him at the trade deadline.

With the team in a rebuilding phase, it makes sense to move Kreider, but the team has made some progress in the last year. The team is just 11 points out of a playoff spot and a strong second-half could allow them to catapult them into the playoffs. However, the team is hardly ready to compete for a Stanley Cup and at age 28, signing Kreider to a seven or eight-year deal may also not be the greatest idea either. Despite the sentimental side of things, the team might be better off getting what they can.

Contract

Kreider is in the final year of a four-year, $18.5MM contract that he signed back in 2016. He has a an AAV of $4.625MM and will hit unrestricted free agency in July. He does have a modified no-trade clause in which he has an 11-team no-trade list.

2019-20

Kreider has been a consistent goal scorer in New York for the past seven years and the 28-year-old has been no different this season. After a 28-goal campaign in 2018-19, Kreider is well on his way of duplicating that number once again. He currently has 17 goals and 32 points and should be in line for similar numbers from last year, if not better. However, he’s been even better over the past 20 games as Kreider has 11 goals in that span, along with 19 points, making his stock continue to rise as he has been playing close to a point-per-game player. He has been playing so well that many wonder if the Rangers would be losing too key of a player.

Season Stats

48 GP, 17 goals, 15 assists, 32 points, +1 rating, 58 PIMS, 117 shots, 17:43 ATOI, 47.4 CF%

Potential Suitors

Many teams will be looking to acquire a speedy power forward, who can score. The earliest suitor for Kreider goes back a ways as there were rumors that the Colorado Avalanche might be interested to bring Kreider in for a Stanley Cup run. However, that interest has supposedly slipped. The Montreal Canadiens have also expressed interest, but there are rumors that Kreider put all Canadian teams on his no-trade list.

In the East, the Rangers have a history making moves with the Boston Bruins at the trade deadline and this year is likely no different. Despite a dominant first line, the Bruins are still struggling to get quality offense from their second line and could use a veteran goal scorer who could step in and help anchor a group of forwards, including Jake Debrusk and Charlie Coyle. The team does have almost all of its picks, including its first-round picks in the next three drafts, so the have some key assets in which to acquire Kreider. The Bruins also have a bunch of young forwards that are NHL ready and could be another trade chip to use, including Anders Bjork, Danton Heinen as well as several forwards currently playing in Providence of the AHL.

Out West, there could be several teams interested in Kreider, but its rumored that the Dallas Stars might be looking for some goal scoring. The team is currently ranked 27th in goals scored and also acquired Mats Zuccarello from the Rangers last season. Despite being tight against the cap, Dallas does have the luxury of placing Martin Hanzal on LTIR, which could open up the needed space to bring in Kreider. The biggest concern, however, is that the team might be hesitant to move its first-round pick after having already traded their second-round (to Vegas for Marc Methot) and a third-rounder (to the Rangers for Zuccarello), which could leave without any picks until the fourth round at the draft. Even among prospects, Dallas might hesitate to trade their top prospects, which could make a match difficult, but not impossible.

Likelihood Of A Trade

With a key game-winning goal against the rival New York Islanders nine days ago, many have felt that moving Kreider would be a mistake as he is a major part to the team. However, the Rangers expect to have some cap issues in the coming seasons as the team has to sign several key players in the next couple of years to long-term deals, including Anthony DeAngelo, Ryan Strome, Brendan Lemieux, Alexandar Georgiev for next year, while others like Kaapo Kakko and Filip Chytil are both likely to expect big deals down the road. Throw in the $6.08MM cap hit that the team will get from Kevin Shattenkirk’s buyout next year, and there doesn’t look to be much money left available for Kreider, who is likely looking for a big payday.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Central Notes: Dallas Stars, Avalanche, Johansen

January 25, 2020 at 5:27 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

It’s possible that the NHL preseason games in China could return next season. The Dallas Morning News’ Matthew DeFranks writes that a source has said that the Dallas Stars are being “highly considered” as a team that would play in China next season and was confirmed by Stars president Brad Alberts.

The big question is whether the NHL will play some preseason games in China this year. In fact, little is clear including who Dallas might play, if they play at all. It would mark the first time the Stars have ever played a game in Asia. The Stars, however, already have a developmental agreement with the Beijing Shougang Hockey Club, which they agreed on in September and makes them a likely candidate to go overseas to start off next season.

After two years of putting exhibitions there in order to grow the game overseas, the NHL played no games in China this season as the country was celebrating the 70th anniversary of its founding last fall, which created major scheduling headaches. The last preseason games in China involved the Boston Bruins and Calgary Flames back in 2018. The Vancouver Canucks and Los Angeles Kings played in 2017.

Mike Chambers of the Denver Post writes that despite the fact that the Colorado Avalanche have the lowest payroll, he believes it’s unlikely the team will be making a major trade at the upcoming trade deadline. The scribe writes that the team lacks openings in the top-six unless injuries develop over the next month. However, Chambers does add the team may look to add some help in goal and add a bottom-six forward with playoff experience. Colorado had been rumored to be a target for players such as Taylor Hall (already traded to Arizona), Chris Kreider and Tyler Toffoli, which no longer seems to be the case.
The Athletic’s Adam Vingan (subscription required) analyzes the play of Nashville Predators center Ryan Johansen through the first half of the season. While the play of many Predators have been down this season, Johansen’s numbers are quite disappointing. He has 10 goals and 27 points and is on pace for a 47-point season, which would be his worst season since his rookie campaign. However, Vingan notes that his shooting has increased and should exceed his expected-goal rate this season. Unfortunately, since Johansen is shooting more, his assists are way down. Throw in the fact that Johansen is always paired up against some of the other teams’ most challenging players, his numbers make more sense and should be able to rebound in the second half of the season.

Pacific Notes: Oilers Offseason, Green, Hughes, Gretzky

January 25, 2020 at 3:30 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

The Edmonton Oilers are still trying to put together a impact top-six. The team seems to have formed a new No. 2 line between Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Kailer Yamamoto, but the team is still trying to find partners for their No. 1 line centered around Connor McDavid.

The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell (subscription required) writes that throughout his career McDavid has always had a physical winger with him he wonders if that is even necessary any more. While the team is limited in its current options, this summer is likely to be a different story. The scribe writes that general manager Ken Holland will be looking to spend some money this offseason with names such as Taylor Hall and perhaps a more likely candidate could be Mike Hoffman, who might be the perfect linemate for McDavid if the two were paired together.

While Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning said recently that the team will wait until the summer to discuss a possible contract extension with head coach Travis Green, The Athletic’s Rick Dhaliwal (subscription required) writes that the team needs to lock up Green, considering the work he has put in over the last few years and how the team currently sits in first place in the Pacific Division. Of course, with four teams just one point behind them, Green’s extension could be tied with the team making the playoffs (especially considering the team traded their first-round pick to Tampa Bay to get J.T. Miller this summer). However, the scribe points out that the team needs Green locked up, not dealing with a new coach next season.
In a seperate tweet, Dhaliwal notes that Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes finds himself in a good position for an extension on July 1. Agent Pat Brisson said they will deal with it as they get closer to July 1. Hughes has had an impressive rookie year, which includes a trip to the All-Star game and could score quite an extension if Benning is willing. “We can start talking with Canucks on July 1st,” said Brisson. “We will cross that bridge when we get there. He is sure building a case as a strong asset. We will see how it goes.”
As rumored, Pacific Division’s head coach Rick Tocchet, who agreed to take over for fired Gerard Gallant at the All-Star game today, has got NHL icon Wayne Gretzky to serve behind his bench as an assistant coach, according to The Athletic’s Craig Morgan. Gretzky served as head coach of the Coyotes from 2005 to 2009,

Trevor Daley Hoping To Be Traded

January 25, 2020 at 1:59 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 10 Comments

To say that this season has not gone well for Red Wings defenseman Trevor Daley would be an understatement. He has missed considerable time with multiple injuries and when he has been in the lineup, he hasn’t been the productive player he has been in the past. However, as a veteran with a pair of Stanley Cup rings under his belt, there could be a team or two interested in his services. He is certainly hoping so as NBC Sports’ Pierre McGuire reported in an appearance on TSN 1200 (audio link) that Daley has spoken to Detroit GM Steve Yzerman about his willingness to be dealt by next month’s trade deadline.

The 36-year-old has played in just 26 games this season, recording only four assists along with a -16 plus/minus rating. He’s also averaging just 16:11 per night of ice time, more than four minutes per game below his career average and his lowest ATOI since his rookie season back in 2003-04. However, he’s still a decent skater and teams are typically looking for veteran defensive depth at this time of year so they may be willing to overlook the struggles if the asking price is low enough.

One possible challenge here will be his contract. Daley, a pending unrestricted free agent, carries a $3.167MM cap hit. Detroit would almost certainly have to pay down the maximum 50% of that to facilitate a deal; they’ve yet to use any of their three retention slots this season. But even at a price tag of a pro-rated $1.583MM, that might be too high for some cap-strapped teams. It’s worth noting that Daley has a 15-team no-trade clause but given his desire to be moved, it’s unlikely that it will come into play.

Daley is one of four pending unrestricted free agents that Detroit has on their back end, joining Mike Green, Jonathan Ericsson, and Alex Biega. None are likely to be part of their future plans so it’s quite possible that their defense corps will look a lot different than it does now when the deadline comes and goes on February 24th.

Metropolitan Notes: Strome, Jarry, Gostisbehere

January 25, 2020 at 12:56 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 9 Comments

The Rangers are facing a pending salary cap crunch next summer highlighted by a sizable new deal on the way for defenseman Anthony DeAngelo as well as the buyout cost on Kevin Shattenkirk going up by $4.6MM. As a result, some have suggested that forward Ryan Strome may ultimately be a casualty. However, he’s in the midst of a resurgent season himself and told Steve Serby of the New York Post that he’d like to stick around:

I really hope I stay. I feel like I’ve lived in New York for so long, it’s my second home. The coaching staff and the management here, I think I’ve found a little bit of a home.

After being cast aside by Edmonton last season, the 26-year-old sits second on the Rangers in scoring this season with 43 points already, just seven shy of his career high. He’s slated to be a restricted free agent this summer with arbitration rights and will have a strong case for a big raise on his current $3.2MM salary which also represents his required qualifying offer in June. It may be tricky for GM Jeff Gorton to accommodate it though.

Andreas Martinsen Clears Unconditional Waivers

January 25, 2020 at 12:20 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 1 Comment

Saturday: Martinsen has cleared waivers, CapFriendly reports which will pave the way for Pittsburgh to terminate the rest of his deal.

Friday: According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Pittsburgh Penguins have placed Andreas Martinsen on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a contract termination.

The Penguins are setting up to be players at the February trade deadline for another season, thanks to some incredible play by the depth that GM Jim Rutherford has built. The team has lost every star player on the roster for long stretches but performed well in the standings anyway, including an 18-6-4 run without captain Sidney Crosby. The fact that Crosby is back healthy alongside Evgeni Malkin and others should embolden Rutherford as the deadline approaches.

To that end, Martinsen’s termination will clear a contract slot for the team to work with. The Penguins had been sitting at 48 on the year meaning they could only add a maximum of two players. This move will give them a little more flexibility in terms of what they can take on and what they will have to give up.

Martinsen meanwhile could be finished in North America after struggling to find a role this season. The 29-year old forward played 24 games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the AHL after being acquired in the Erik Gudbranson trade earlier this season, but had just three points.

Trade Deadline Primer: Calgary Flames

January 25, 2020 at 11:51 am CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

With the trade deadline now less than a month away, we will be taking a closer look at the situation for each team over the coming weeks. 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 Calgary Flames.

It has been an interesting first half of the season in Calgary. Their big offseason trade (James Neal for Milan Lucic) hasn’t really worked out, their top line has sputtered offensively, and there was plenty of off-ice controversy surrounding head coach Bill Peters which eventually led to him leaving the team. Despite that, they sit one point out of first place and after freeing up some cap space with the recent trade of Michael Frolik to Buffalo, they’re likely to be heard from between now and next month’s trade deadline.

Record

26-19-5, tied for second in the Pacific Division

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$4.791MM in a full-season cap hit (using LTIR), 0/3 used salary cap retention slots, 44/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Upcoming Draft Picks

2020: CGY 1st, CGY 2nd, CGY 3rd, EDM 3rd*, SJ 4th, CGY 5th, CGY 6th, CGY 7th
2021: CGY 1st, CGY 2nd, CGY 3rd, CGY 4th, CGY 5th, CGY 6th, CGY 7th

*- Calgary will receive Edmonton’s third-round pick as part of the Neal/Lucic swap if Neal scores 21 or more goals and Lucic has at least ten goals less than him at the end of the season. Neal is currently at 19 so he will likely get to 21 while Lucic is at four goals.

Trade Chips

While teams looking to contend don’t typically subtract an impact player from their roster, it certainly seems like that could be the case with defenseman T.J. Brodie who is believed to be available going back to the summer. The pending UFA doesn’t appear to have a place with Calgary beyond this season and while he’d certainly give their playoff hopes a push, he’d also garner a strong return in a trade as well. This wouldn’t be a typical ‘sell a rental for a pick or prospect’ situation but rather dealing from one hole to fill another. They’re known to be looking for another forward in the hopes of replacing Frolik with someone that’s more productive offensively and Brodie could be the player that yields that type of return.

Center Mark Jankowski has had an abysmal season with just a single goal and assist in 39 games. Instead of looking like a future core player, he could be a non-tender candidate in July with a $1.75MM qualifying offer. If they’re leaning in that direction, they’d be wise to try to get something for him now and there may be a rebuilding team that’s willing to take a cheap flier on him. Austin Czarnik, a pending UFA, has been productive with AHL Stockton and if he’s unlikely to get another look with the Flames after he cleared waivers earlier in the year, he’s someone that another team may want to give a chance to down the stretch. Sam Bennett has been in trade speculation for years but unless they’re getting someone that’s signed for a few more years, he isn’t a strong candidate to be moved at this time.

In terms of prospects, center Ilya Nikolayev has seen his stock rise this season and teams are always looking for depth down the middle. Winger Dmitri Zavgorodny has been dominant when healthy in the QMJHL this season and is already signed. Blueliner Alexander Yelesin drew interest from several teams last year as a free agent and with him not getting any NHL action yet, those teams may circle back. With four minor league goalies all eligible for restricted free agency next season, they may be willing to part with one of those to clear the logjam. Jon Gillies and his one-way deal may be the one they want to move but Russian rookie Artyom Zagidulin will likely draw more interest.

Five Players To Watch For: D T.J. Brodie, F Austin Czarnik, F Mark Jankowski, F Ilya Nikolayev, W Dmitri Zavgorodny

Team Needs

1) Scoring Help: Of the top-55 forwards in the league in terms of points this year, Calgary doesn’t have any of them. Their big four up front all range from 36-38 points and while that’s not terrible, they’re getting paid to produce more. Obviously, Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan getting back to last year’s form would be ideal but they may need a new running mate to help them get there. GM Brad Treliving is known to prefer someone with term over a rental player but the price tag to acquire such a player is going to be high.

2) Defensive Depth: With Juuso Valimaki on LTIR, there’s already a need to have another blueliner that’s at least capable of playing some minutes on the third pairing. If Brodie does wind up being dealt, that opens up another vacancy. Yelesin is the top recall option in the minors and he’s a question mark having had no NHL experience. Adding another player with some NHL experience for Stockton would be ideal on top of adding another depth defender like they did with Oscar Fantenberg at the deadline last season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Morning Notes: Skills Competition Results, Barzal, Ryan

January 25, 2020 at 10:32 am CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

The NHL kicked off its All-Star festivities on Friday night with the Skills Competition as well as a three-on-three women’s game to showcase some of their talents as well. Here are the results:

Women’s Hockey: Canada 2, USA 1
Fastest Skater: Mathew Barzal (Islanders), 13.175 seconds
Save Streak: Jordan Binnington (Blues), 10 saves
Accuracy Shooting: Jaccob Slavin (Hurricanes), 9.505 seconds
Hardest Shot: Shea Weber (Canadiens), 106.5 MPH
Shooting Stars: Patrick Kane (Blackhawks), 22 points

The All-Star Game festivities run tonight with NHL games resuming on Monday.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

Mathew Barzal’s pending restricted free agency is going to be one of the more interesting ones to follow this summer. He has led the Islanders in points in each of his first two NHL seasons and currently leads them in scoring this season. Despite that, Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post suggests that the likeliest scenario is that he winds up with a short-term bridge contract. GM Lou Lamoriello doesn’t seem like the type of manager to be willing to approach the contract that Toronto winger Mitch Marner received before the start of this season (a $10.893MM AAV) so the safer move would be to go with the short-term deal for now and go for the long-term deal down the road.
Kings defenseman Joakim Ryan is expected to be available for their first game after the All-Star break, notes Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider. The 26-year-old has been out since late-December with a lower-body injury. A pending unrestricted free agent with a cap hit of just $725K, Ryan could draw a little bit of trade interest over the next month from teams that are looking to add defensive depth but have limited cap space. While he has just three points in 27 games this season, he’s averaging a career-high 18:48 in ice time per night.

Minor Transactions: 1/25/20

January 25, 2020 at 9:13 am CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

With regular games resuming on Monday, there should be a bit of roster activity today as teams that are playing that first game back get their rosters ready. We’ll keep track of any movement here.

The Maple Leafs announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled winger Trevor Moore and defenseman Jake Muzzin from their conditioning stints. As both players are on LTIR, they were eligible to play in up to three games (with an option for an extra two if approved by the league) but neither did. Moore suited up twice, recording a goal and an assist along the way while Muzzin’s stint started and ended with their loss to Cleveland on Friday. With Toronto playing on Monday, this suggests that both players should be ready to go for that one. They’re only carrying the minimum-sized roster at the moment so no corresponding demotions will need to be made to activate them.

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