Archives for February 2020

Shea Weber Returns To Practice (3-5 Weeks Early)

February 18, 2020 at 11:00 am CDT | by Zach Leach 2 Comments

Tuesday: Weber will indeed suit up for the Canadiens tonight, returning just six days after being ruled out for four-to-six weeks.

Monday: Montreal Canadiens captain Shea Weber returned to practice today after missing the past week and a half with an injury. Normally, that wouldn’t be big news. However, just last week Weber was given a timeline of four-to-six weeks to recover from his ankle strain. Five days later, Weber is back at practice and questionable for Tuesday night’s game more than three-to-five weeks ahead of schedule.

Weber’s seemingly miraculous healing powers are earning him a new nickname among hockey pundits: Wolverine. And for good reason. Not only is Weber returning to action far ahead of schedule, but even that initial timeline was considered good news after initial reports about the ankle injury were that it could cost him the season. On top of that, Weber was not only skating today, but was a full participant in practice alongside regular partner Ben Chiarot and was even working with special teams units as if he is expecting to play sooner rather than later. While Weber, 34, has dealt with his fair share of injuries, this is not the first time that he has reportedly returned from injury well before most or has braved pain that most would not endure to return to the lineup.

Of course, timeline aside, the injury is still in play and could limit the veteran. After speaking with Weber after practice, Sportsnet’s Eric Engels relays that Weber was told that he could not do any further damage to his ankle, but that he is certainly not at 100%. Yet, Weber says that he feels good to go, which is good news for the Canadiens. Their slim playoff hopes likely ride on whether or not Weber can contribute, so even a limited version of their captain is far better than what they believed could be four-to-six weeks of his absence.

Adding to the idea that Weber could be returning right away on Tuesday is Montreal’s other move today, sending defenseman Christian Folin as well forward Jake Evans to the AHL’s Laaval Rocket. The team needs to open up a roster spot before activating Weber from the injured reserve.

Minor Transactions: 02/18/20

February 18, 2020 at 10:28 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The NHL’s trade market is heating up with deals for Tyler Toffoli, Andy Greene and Blake Coleman in recent days, but there is also important action on the ice every night. This evening has seven games on the schedule including ones with huge playoff implications in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. As those teams and the rest of the league prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.

Aaron Ness has been recalled by the Arizona Coyotes as they head out on the road for a two-game trip to Dallas and St. Louis. The Coyotes have won their last two games because of stellar performances from Antti Raanta and are now right back in the mix for the Pacific Division.
As the Colorado Avalanche deal with severe injuries in their forward group, they have recalled prospect Martin Kaut from the minor leagues. Kaut, a first-round pick from 2018, will see his first time in the NHL thanks to a Mikko Rantanen injury last night. The young forward has 16 points in 31 games this season for the Colorado Eagles. Rantanen will be out “weeks” according to head coach Jared Bednar.
After their game last night the Vegas Golden Knights sent Cody Glass back to the minor leagues. The 20-year old forward played just over 13 minutes in a 3-2 win over the Washington Capitals, the Golden Knights’ third consecutive win over opponents that currently hold playoff spots. Glass hasn’t quite found his way in the NHL to this point, recording just 12 points in 39 games so far, but will likely be back up when the team plays again later this week.
Aleksi Saarela has been recalled by the Florida Panthers, ahead of their game tomorrow against the Anaheim Ducks. The team is currently on a western road trip that will also see them play in Los Angeles, Vegas and Arizona over the next week and need some extra bodies. Saarela, 23, has played just three games for the Panthers this season and is still looking for his first NHL point.

Bruins Interested In Josh Anderson

February 17, 2020 at 8:57 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 7 Comments

As has been the tradition in recent years, the Bruins are on the lookout for an impact winger. They’ve added Charlie Coyle, Marcus Johansson, and Rick Nash over the last two seasons and are known to have interest in Rangers winger Chris Kreider. If nothing materializes there, their focus could turn to Blue Jackets winger Josh Anderson as Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports Boston reports that they are very interested in the 25-year-old.

Anderson is having a particularly rough 2019-20 season as he has just a goal and four assists in 26 games this season and is currently dealing with a shoulder injury that has kept him out for the last two months. He is nearing a return and Haggerty notes that Boston would like to see him back in action before potentially pulling the trigger on any deal.

The appeal with Anderson isn’t hard to see though. Just last season, he put up 27 goals with the Blue Jackets along with 214 hits. Young power forwards with offensive upside are hard to come by and there will undoubtedly be other suitors for his services as well.

Columbus GM Jarmo Kekalainen faces an interesting decision when it comes to Anderson. The price that Tampa Bay paid to land Blake Coleman on Sunday suggests that teams will pay up to land a player that’s not a rental and can contribute at five-on-five; 22 of his tallies last season came in that situation. In Anderson’s case, he’s a restricted free agent this summer so while his price tag will go up from his current $1.85MM AAV next year, he’ll be around for at least one more season. Landing a possible package like that – Haggerty suggests Boston’s first-round pick and defense prospect Urho Vaakanainen as an offer structured similar to the Coleman trade – has to be appealing, even if the Blue Jackets are in the thick of the playoff picture.

On the other hand, Coleman is in the midst of his second straight 20-goal campaign while Anderson is nowhere near that. Will his reputation be enough to overcome that or will Boston and others offer up less? If that’s the case, Kekalainen would be wise to hold onto Anderson and hope that a strong stretch run could help up his value over the summer if they’re open to moving him.

Between Kreider, Anderson, and even Tyler Toffoli who was linked to Boston at times as well before his trade to Vancouver, Bruins GM Don Sweeney has cast a wide net to try to bring in some help on the wing. At this point, it seems like a matter of when, not if, he’s able to bring one in.

Senators And Dylan DeMelo Far Apart In Extension Talks

February 17, 2020 at 8:15 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 2 Comments

The Senators are currently in the process of trying to get some of their pending unrestricted free agents signed in advance of the trade deadline. One of the players they’ve identified as worthy of keeping around is defenseman Dylan DeMelo. However, talks don’t appear to be going too well as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that the two sides are not in the same ballpark in discussions which increases the likelihood of him being traded over the next week.

The 26-year-old has been an important part of Ottawa’s back end this season, logging a career-high 19:55 per night which is fourth among their defensemen. He also has chipped in with ten assists in 49 games while averaging nearly two hits per night. That’s a pretty good return for someone that carries a salary just $200K above the league minimum. It also has him well-positioned to land a notable raise on his next contract, especially as a right-shot defender, a spot that is often in short supply.

It’s that low price tag that will have many teams interested as even most cap-strapped squads have the ability to bring in someone with a $900K AAV. Garrioch notes that Calgary, Tampa Bay, Vegas, and Winnipeg are among the teams looking for help on the back end and points out that the Golden Knights could make sense as a landing spot for DeMelo as they are coached by Peter DeBoer who had the blueliner when both were with San Jose.

Beyond center Jean-Gabriel Pageau, DeMelo is arguably Ottawa’s next best trade chip so if the two sides can’t make significant progress on a new deal over the next few days, he will likely be on the move by next Monday’s deadline.

Canucks Acquire Tyler Toffoli

February 17, 2020 at 7:03 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 11 Comments

The Canucks are currently in a battle for top spot in the Pacific Division and GM Jim Benning has made a move to bolster their attack. They have acquired winger Tyler Toffoli from Los Angeles in exchange for winger Tim Schaller, prospect Tyler Madden, a 2020 second-round pick, and a 2022 fourth-round pick that is contingent on Toffoli re-signing with Vancouver. Both teams have confirmed the trade and there is no salary retention on anyone.

The 27-year-old has already matched his point total from last season following a hat trick against Colorado in the Stadium Series game on Saturday. Through 58 games this season, he has 18 goals and 16 assists; his 34 points ranked third on the Kings.

Vancouver has very quietly put together a top-ten attack this season and have a very balanced attack. Toffoli’s addition will give the Canucks seven forwards with at least 16 goals and not many other teams can contend with that type of depth.

While that certainly bodes well for Vancouver, it may not be the best thing for Toffoli’s free agent fortunes. He’s eligible for unrestricted free agency at the end of the season and will likely be seeking a contract that’s close to his current $4.6MM AAV. If he winds up spending time on the third line for the Canucks, that has the potential to hurt his value on the open market.

As for Schaller, his inclusion in the deal is solely to help make the money work. Two years ago, he had a 22-point season with Boston but has failed to reach that mark over his two years in Vancouver combined. Through 51 games this season, he has five goals and one assist which isn’t a great return on a $1.9MM AAV. He’s slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Even with Schaller’s inclusion, the money isn’t close enough to work under Vancouver’s salary cap. Accordingly, CapFriendly notes (Twitter link) that wingers Josh Leivo and Tyler Motte plus center Tyler Graovac have all been transferred to LTIR which frees up enough room for now although there could be complications down the road when any of them are ready to be activated. Micheal Ferland is also on LTIR but the Canucks announced (via Twitter) that he has been shut down for the rest of the season due to recurring concussion-like symptoms. They also revealed that Brock Boeser will miss at least three weeks due to a rib cartilage fracture which likely was part of the impetus for this move.

Madden was a third-round pick of Vancouver (68th overall) back in 2018 but is quickly outperforming his draft stock. He leads Northeastern in scoring in his sophomore season with 19 goals and 18 assists; his 37 points put him fourth in NCAA scoring. However, he broke his finger over the weekend that will keep him out for the next month or so. Los Angeles will have two years after this one to sign him and while he may still be a year or two away from turning pro, he is a nice addition to a Kings prospect pool that is quickly being stocked up.

With Toffoli now gone, the focus in Los Angeles will certainly shift towards defenseman Alec Martinez. The 32-year-old is believed to be one of the more sought-after defenders that could move by next week’s trade deadline as he carries a $4MM AAV and unlike many of the players who will be moved between now and then, he’s not a rental player as he is signed through 2020-21.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

TSN’s Darren Dreger was the first to report that Toffoli had been dealt to Vancouver.

Pacific Notes: Hall, Thornton, Ryan

February 17, 2020 at 6:50 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 2 Comments

With the Coyotes struggling lately, some have wondered if GM John Chayka might ultimately consider flipping Taylor Hall, his big acquisition from December. NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti asked the winger if he’d be interested in such a move but Hall indicated that his desire is to stay with Arizona.

Of course, the bigger question at play here will be his willingness to stay with the Coyotes on a long-term basis. The 28-year-old is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and is not interested in discussing a possible contract extension until after the season. Hall came into the season as someone that was likely to push for an AAV in the $10MM range but a quieter start with New Jersey as well as his lower output with Arizona (21 points in 26 games) may very well take that price tag off the table.

Trade Deadline Primer: New York Rangers

February 17, 2020 at 5:25 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 5 Comments

With the trade deadline now less than two weeks 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 New York Rangers.

After landing the biggest fish in free agency and adding the second-overall pick, the New York Rangers were a team to watch this season. While things have gone relatively well, the murderer’s row that is the Metropolitan Division has the team well back of a playoff spot. Even with a winning record and positive goal differential the Rangers sit in seventh place in the packed Metro, meaning selling off expiring assets is the likely goal at the upcoming deadline.

Record

30-24-4, seventh in the Metropolitan Division

Deadline Status

Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$13.68MM in a full-season cap hit, 1/3 used salary cap retention slots, 46/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Upcoming Draft Picks

2020: NYR 1st, NYR 3rd, DAL 3rd, NYR 4th, NYR 5th, NYR 6th, NYR 7th, NSH 7th, VAN 7th
2021: NYR 1st, NYR 2nd, NYR 3rd, BUF 3rd, NYR 4th, OTT 4th, NYR 5th, NYR 6th, NYR 7th

Trade Chips

The name you have to mention first when discussing the Rangers is Chris Kreider, the top rental available this season and the subject of endless speculation. The speedy winger is having another excellent season with 23 goals and 42 points in 57 games while in the final year of his current contract. An unrestricted free agent at season’s end, Kreider still could potentially re-sign with the Rangers to act as a veteran option while the young kids develop, but is easily their best trade chip.

There are a few other interesting forwards on the team however, including heart-and-soul winger Jesper Fast. The 28-year old is also an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season but comes with a more reasonable cap hit of just $1.85MM and would likely draw a much lower price in trade. Fast has just eight goals and 24 points in 57 games, but is still versatile enough that he could be a nice addition to a contender down the stretch.

Pavel Buchnevich and Ryan Strome also may be available for the right price, even if they’re not headed toward UFA status. The former is signed for another season at a $3.25MM cap hit, while the latter will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights.

The defensive group also holds some interest. The team would likely love to get rid of Marc Staal and Brendan Smith’s contracts, but both would be difficult to move even if they didn’t have trade protection. Anthony DeAngelo could be a different story.

The 24-year old DeAngelo is having an outstanding offensive season with 13 goals and 43 points in 56 games, but had a tough negotiation last summer as an RFA that ended in him agreeing to a one-year contract in late September and will have arbitration rights this year. If the Rangers don’t believe they can sign him to a reasonable long-term deal, perhaps it is best to move on given the presence of Jacob Trouba and Adam Fox on the right side. With such a low cap hit $925K and huge upside, DeAngelo could be expensive in trade.

It would be wrong not to mention the team’s goaltending situation, which still consists of three netminders for the time being. Alexandar Georgiev has been in trade rumors all season long, but it appears as though the Rangers may be content to keep them all through the end of the season and deal with it after the fact.

Five Players To Watch For: F Chris Kreider, F Jesper Fast, F Ryan Strome, D Brady Skjei, D Anthony DeAngelo

Team Needs

1) Close-To-NHL Forwards: The Rangers are past the point of collecting a million draft picks and restocking their system. In fact, some of those young prospects could actually be traded out of the organization in the coming months and years to secure more big league talent. That’s likely what the team is looking for now as they enter a window of playoff contention, spearheaded by the signing of Artemi Panarin last summer. If names like Kreider, Fast and Strome are all moved out, the team will need some more legitimate NHL talent to replace them–though it will have to be young enough to grow with the group.

2) Long-term Cap Space: As referenced above, getting out from under Staal or Smith would be ideal but extremely difficult. That’s why a move of someone like Brady Skjei could instead be the option, freeing up room for some younger prospects and some cap space for the organization. The Rangers are okay right now, but will quickly be looking at a cap crunch as players age out of their entry-level deals. Panarin and Trouba combining for nearly $20MM per season will always put pressure on the front office to avoid bad contracts and find value in the margins.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Buffalo Sabres Suspend Zach Bogosian

February 17, 2020 at 4:00 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 6 Comments

After clearing waivers recently, Zach Bogosian was assigned to the Rochester Americans of the AHL. After failing to report to the minor league team, the Buffalo Sabres have suspended Bogosian indefinitely. While he remains under suspension, Bogosian will forfeit his salary and his entire cap hit will come off the Sabres’ books.

The 29-year old Bogosian is in the final season of the seven-year, $36MM contract he signed with the Winnipeg Jets in 2013 and carries a cap hit of $5.14MM this season. After being made a healthy scratch earlier in the year he had requested a trade, but due to this hefty contract any deal would be difficult for the Sabres to accomplish. Now after several more scratches and an assignment to the minor leagues, it appears that his time with the Sabres’ organization may be over.

The two sides could still come to an agreement of some sort. A mutual contract termination would see Bogosian give up what remains on his deal, but at this point a suspension amounts to the same thing, without an opportunity for him to sign elsewhere. A termination would make Bogosian an unrestricted free agent, though to be eligible for playoff hockey with a new team he would have to sign a contract before the trade deadline.

There is also still a trade option, if the Sabres can find a team willing to take on his contract. That seems unlikely at this point however, given his availability on waivers and the new cap flexibility that this suspension creates for Buffalo.

Bogosian has five points in 19 games this season for the Sabres.

Zach Fucale Released From AHL Contract, Signs In Germany

February 17, 2020 at 3:54 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The long and winding career of Zach Fucale will now take the goaltender overseas, as today the Syracuse Crunch released him from his AHL contract in order for him to sign with Munich in the DEL. Fucale had spent most of the season in the ECHL with the Orlando Solar Bears, but will now head to Germany to follow a new opportunity.

Fucale, 24, was originally selected 36th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in 2013, but despite his promising junior career things haven’t gone to plan at the professional level. After his entry-level contract with the Canadiens ended in 2018 with him in the ECHL, the organization decided not to issue him a qualifying offer. The Vegas Golden Knights gave him another chance with a one-year two-way deal in 2018-19, but he once again spent more time in the low minors and actually struggled during his time with the Fort Wayne Komets.

Another non-qualified summer awaited him, and now after posting a .928 save percentage in 24 appearances with the Solar Bears he’ll head overseas. Fucale has been a staple for Team Canada in international competitions for some time, winning a World Junior gold medal in 2015 and two Spengler Cups over the last few years. If the NHL fails to go to the Olympics again in 2022, you can bet he’ll be on Canada’s radar as a potential option in net.

Latest On Tyler Toffoli’s Trade Market

February 17, 2020 at 2:25 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 4 Comments

One of the teams that is a confirmed seller this year is the Los Angeles Kings, as they look to rebuild around a new wave of prospects that are close to making an impact at the NHL level. They have already sold off Jack Campbell and Kyle Clifford in a deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and now Tyler Toffoli is one of the top rental names in any trade speculation. Today, Frank Seravalli of TSN listed Toffoli at #6 on the latest edition of his Trade Bait board, and explained that even while the Kings’ forward impresses with his recent play, a return might not be exceptional.

’Every team is looking to get bigger, stronger and faster and [Chris] Kreider checks all of those boxes,’ one Eastern Conference executive said Monday. ’Toffoli doesn’t have that speed and power element. He doesn’t play with pace.’

That executive, whose team isn’t in trade talks for Toffoli, said he could see ’a package that looks like a second- and a fourth-round pick that might become a third with a condition’ or ’a second-round pick and a team’s fourth- or fifth-best prospect.’

Toffoli has four goals in his last two games, including a hat trick against the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday. With 18 through 58 games, it looks like he will clearly break the 20-goal mark for the fourth time in his career, and even has an outside shot at getting to 30 once again. For that kind of production one would think the Kings are looking for a little more than a package of mid-round picks, but teams seem less and less willing to part with a first-round selection in a deal for a pure rental.

The 27-year old forward is on the final season of his three-year, $13.8MM deal he signed in 2017 and comes with a $4.6MM cap hit. The Kings have plenty of room to retain if they choose, but can only do it for two more players after retaining $800K on Clifford.

Toffoli, Alec Martinez and Trevor Lewis all appear on the list, but the Kings have several other expiring deals. Derek Forbort, Ben Hutton, Joakim Ryan are all scheduled to become unrestricted free agents.

« Previous Page

Load More Posts

Headlines