Five Key Stories: 03/29/21 – 04/04/21
While things were largely quiet on the trade front over the past seven days, there was still plenty of notable news around the league which are highlighted in our key stories.
COVID Outbreak In Vancouver: The Canucks have been hit extremely hard with a COVID-19 outbreak. As of today, 16 players are on the CPRA list and are in quarantine protocol and that list doesn’t include taxi squad players or coaches. Their games have been postponed through April 6th but it feels like it’s only a matter of time before that gets extended. Vancouver has started recalling players from the AHL in order to try to field a full roster whenever they are cleared to resume play but after the North Division schedule was juggled when Montreal had to sit for a week, it will be facing another set of changes. But for now, the focus is on hoping everyone affected by the outbreak comes out of it healthy.
Palmieri Scratched For Trade: Earlier this weekend, the Devils and Kyle Palmieri were expected to take one last run at hammering out a contract extension. Evidently, those talks went nowhere as he was held out of New Jersey’s lineup on Sunday in anticipation of a trade. The 30-year-old is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and while he’s having a quiet year offensively with just eight goals in 34 games, his track record – at least 24 goals in each of the previous five seasons – should result in several suitors for his services. With a $4.65MM AAV and an eight-team no-trade clause per CapFriendly, the Devils may have to work with Palmieri to find the right trade while some sort of contract retention will likely be necessary.
Five For Demko: For years, Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko has been touted as Vancouver’s goalie of the future. He has lived up to those expectations this season and was rewarded for his efforts as he signed a five-year, $25MM contract extension. The deal represents a substantial raise on his current $1.05MM cap hit but he has certainly earned it with his performance, posting a .917 SV% in 25 starts this season. That number may not seem too strong on its own but Vancouver is allowing 3.24 goals per game and is in the bottom ten in the league in that department. GM Jim Benning can now turn his focus to his other two prominent pending restricted free agents in Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson.
Gostisbehere Clears Waivers: It has been a steep fall from grace for Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere over the last few years. After putting up 65 points in 2017-18, his numbers fell off sharply the following two seasons and this year, he had been a healthy scratch on several occasions. Things got even worse from there as he cleared waivers on Wednesday. Obviously, his $4.5MM price tag made a claim from most teams impossible but it’s still a sign of how much of a hit his value has taken. A few years ago, he would have fetched a sizable return on the trade market but now, Gostisbehere’s deal looks like one where Philadelphia will have to include an incentive to simply find any taker for him.
College Free Agency: Two of the top players in college free agency are now off the market. First, Jordan Kawaguchi inked a one-year, entry-level deal with Dallas that will be effective next season. The 23-year-old finished fourth in NCAA Division I scoring this season with 36 points in 28 games after putting up 45 points in 33 games in his junior year to finish second in scoring. The next day, arguably the top free agent on the market came off the board as the Panthers signed Matt Kiersted to a two-year, entry-level pact. The 22-year-old was immediately inserted into Florida’s lineup as he made his NHL debut on Saturday as they hope that he’ll be able to help fill a small part of the void opened up with Aaron Ekblad’s season being over.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Snapshots: Mrazek, Fabbri, Gudbranson, Hinostroza, Bowness
The Hurricanes got a key part of their lineup back tonight with the announcement that Petr Mrazek was getting the start tonight against Dallas. The veteran had missed the last 31 games due to a right thumb injury after entering the season as the expected starting goaltender. Carolina more than held their own with James Reimer and Alex Nedeljkovic splitting time in Mrazek’s absence and with the latter now once again being waiver-eligible, they will be forced to carry three goalies the rest of the way as it’s highly doubtful he’d go unclaimed again. Last month, GM Don Waddell indicated that he’s open to moving one of his three netminders and a good showing from Mrazek over these next couple of appearances may go a long way towards determining whether or not that happens.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- Red Wings winger Robby Fabbri missed today’s game due to an undisclosed injury. Following the contest, head coach Jeff Blashill told reporters, including MLive’s Ansar Khan (Twitter link), that the 25-year-old is listed as day-to-day and they expect to know more about the extent of the injury on Tuesday. Fabbri sits third on Detroit in scoring with ten goals and eight assists in 30 games.
- Senators defenseman Erik Gudbranson did not accompany the team on their trip to Winnipeg, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. The veteran returned to Ottawa to be with his wife who is expected to give birth to their first child in the next few days. Gudbranson has played in 34 games this season, picking up a goal and two assists.
- Blackhawks center Vinnie Hinostroza opted to make the 20-hour drive from Florida to Chicago to reduce his required quarantine tine, notes Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times. The 27-year-old was acquired from the Panthers this week after having a limited role in Florida where he played in just nine games. Hinostroza isn’t on the CPRA list yet but should be on there once he makes it to his hotel room in Chicago to begin serving his quarantine period.
- Stars head coach Rick Bowness was pulled from their game against Carolina after the second period due to COVID-19 protocols, the team announced (Twitter link). Assistant coach John Stevens served as acting head coach for the rest of the game.
Trade Deadline Primer: Pittsburgh Penguins
We are now just over a week away from the NHL Trade Deadline and talks are heating up. Where does each team stand and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
It has been an eventful year for the Penguins, to put it lightly. They’ve been hit hard by injuries, have had inconsistent goaltending at times, and had to deal with a sudden GM resignation as well when Jim Rutherford abruptly left. In spite of all of that, they are comfortably in a top-three spot in the East Division and are within striking distance of the number one seed. GM Ron Hextall will undoubtedly be looking to buy but he doesn’t appear to have the trade chips to be overly active.
Record
24-12-2, 3rd in East Division
Deadline Status
Buyer
Deadline Cap Space
$833K in full-season space ($1.12MM at the trade deadline), 1/3 retention slots used, 48/50 contracts used per CapFriendly.
Pittsburgh also currently has some LTIR spending room with Evgeni Malkin on there at the moment. However, he is expected to return before the end of the season so that space can’t be used to trade for an impact replacement and thus is not factored into the above numbers.
Upcoming Draft Picks
2021: PIT 2nd, PIT 5th, ANA 7th, PIT 7th, WSH 7th
2022: PIT 1st, PIT 2nd, PIT 3rd, PIT 4th, PIT 5th, PIT 6th, PIT 7th
Trade Chips
When you don’t have a surplus of picks or prospects to deal from nor the cap space to take on a pricey contract, it’s tricky to find possible fits to intrigue other teams. One possible option is defenseman Juuso Riikola. He has been limited to just two games this season but has been a sixth or seventh option for a couple of years now. Their long list of injuries on defense (which included him for roughly six weeks) forced them to bring some other players in and as a result, the 27-year-old hasn’t played since being activated off LTIR nearly a month ago. With another year left on his deal at $1.15MM, Riikola’s salary is one that could be thrown into a move to try to match money for cap purposes.
Prospect winger Radim Zohorna has impressed in the minors and even chipped in with a goal in two games with Pittsburgh. At 6’6, his size will be intriguing to quite a few teams and if the Pens don’t want to part with a draft pick and instead want to move a prospect under contract instead, the 24-year-old pending restricted free agent will be asked about fairly quickly.
If Hextall wants to shake things up more drastically, Jason Zucker stands out as a longshot candidate to move. They paid a fairly high price to get him and with how he has performed, they’d be hard-pressed to recoup that now. However, with a $5.5MM price tag for two more years after this, moving him would allow them to potentially free up some wiggle room to make an impact addition now and depending on the term of the contract, possibly give them some extra space over the next two years when they’ll still be tight to the cap. Zucker may make more sense as an offseason trade candidate if they could find the right fit (there is a 10-team no-trade clause to contend with) but without many viable options to move now, he’s worth a mention here.
Others to Watch For: F Sam Miletic ($700K, RFA), F Valtteri Puustinen (prospect whose rights expire June 1st), Colton Sceviour ($1.2MM, UFA)
Team Needs
1) Center Depth – The long-term injuries to Malkin and Jared McCann (even Teddy Blueger has missed time) has emphasized how thin they are up the middle. Sam Lafferty and now Frederick Gaudreau have held their own but someone that’s an upgrade on those two that can serve a purpose on the fourth line but move up to anchor the third line if injuries strike would be nice. They were able to add some defensive depth when the injuries hit but that didn’t happen with their middlemen.
2) Goaltending Insurance – Casey DeSmith is having a fine season but only has 65 career games under his belt. Tristan Jarry has been up and down but has been okay overall. He too hasn’t played in 100 career NHL contests, sitting at 87. Their taxi squad option is Maxime Lagace who has a GAA near 4.00 in his limited NHL action. A more proven third option in case the injury bug bites yet again or one of the two netminders struggle would be a low-cost acquisition that could wind up being useful later on.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Poll: Where Will Kyle Palmieri Be Traded?
The writing is on the wall in New Jersey, where the Devils have pulled Kyle Palmieri from game action. His agent says it is in “anticipation of a trade” in the coming days, meaning he is going to be on the move before the April 12 deadline.
But where will he end up? Palmieri is one of the most attractive rentals on the market, coming off five straight seasons with at least 24 goals. While his numbers are down this season, he still has 17 points in 34 games which tied him for third among Devils forwards heading into today’s action (Travis Zajac and Jack Hughes broke that tie with points in the afternoon game).
The fact is no one on the Devils has been that effective offensively this season, suggesting that Palmieri could potentially regain his goal-scoring form if added to a contender at the deadline. Whether those contenders can afford him is another story.
With a $4.65MM cap hit, Palmieri isn’t the easiest player to fit in under a flat salary cap. Sure, the Devils could retain up to half of that deal, but that likely drives the cost of acquisition up even further. He also holds a modified no-trade clause which allows Palmieri to block deals to eight clubs, though it is unclear which teams are on it or whether he would be willing to waive it.
So where do you think he’ll end up? Cast your vote below and explain your thoughts in the comments down below.
[Mobile users click here to vote]
COVID Protocol Related Absences: 04/04/21
Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in COVID-19 Protocol. Here is the list for today:
Dallas – Anton Khudobin
Los Angeles – Brendan Lemieux, Matt Roy
Montreal – Joel Armia
Ottawa – Jacob Bernard-Docker, Shane Pinto
Vancouver – Travis Boyd, Thatcher Demko, Alexander Edler, Adam Gaudette, Travis Hamonic, Jayce Hawryluk, Braden Holtby, Bo Horvat, Quinn Hughes, Zack MacEwen, Tyler Motte, Tyler Myers, Antoine Roussel, Brandon Sutter, Jalen Chatfield*, Marc Michaelis*
As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:
(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol
Players removed today: Jake Debrusk, Boston Bruins; Eric Staal, Montreal Canadiens
Two more names have been added to the Canucks list, meaning 16 of the 22 players on the active roster are now in the COVID Protocol. There are also taxi squad members and several coaches that have tested positive. Thomas Drance of The Athletic reports that so far, no support staffers have tested positive.
*denotes new addition
Kyle Palmieri Held Out In Anticipation Of Trade
Last season when the New Jersey Devils were getting closer to a trade of Taylor Hall, they kept the winger out of the lineup to ensure he didn’t suffer an injury. The Devils will do it again as Kyle Palmieri will not dress tonight due to “precautionary reasons.” Palmieri’s agency Bartlett Hockey confirms that the move is made “in anticipation of a trade” in the coming days.
Just last night, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweeted that Palmieri and the Devils were trying to hammer out a last-minute extension, but that things were trending toward a trade of the veteran winger. That seems to be the decision now with just over a week before the trade deadline and Palmieri heading to unrestricted free agency at the end of the year.
The 30-year-old winger has 17 points in 34 games this season and has recorded at least 24 goals in each of the last five years. That kind of consistent offensive production will be very attractive to contenders in need of a boost in the top-six, as long as they can fit in his salary. Palmieri carries a $4.65MM cap hit, though the Devils could retain up to half of that to maximize the return.
Of note, Palmieri also has an eight-team no-trade clause (which James Mirtle of The Athletic believes includes the Toronto Maple Leafs) and could have some say in the upcoming discussions.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Latest On Vancouver Canucks COVID Situation
The Vancouver Canucks had 14 players on the COVID Protocol Related Absences list yesterday, but the positive tests won’t end there. Darren Dreger of TSN tweets that there are now more than 20 combined players and coaches that have tested positive. Emily Kaplan of ESPN reports that “more than half” of the Canucks’ players have tested positive and some are in “rough shape.” There is some dispute to the exact number though, as Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province tweets that the number of positive cases is actually under 20.
Despite whether or not the number is above or below 20, things are certainly not going well for the Canucks. The team is still technically scheduled to play on Thursday against the Calgary Flames, but that game (and the one on April 10) are unlikely to be played. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet even spoke last night about a remote possibility that the Canucks don’t play again this season, though that is a worst-case scenario.
Because of this and other situations, the NHL is discussing another playoff bubble according to Friedman. It is “not what anybody wants” according to the Sportsnet insider, but the league is still preparing contingencies.
The COVID protocol list will be updated later this evening and several new names are expected to be added to the Canucks list.
Overseas Notes: Komarov, Kadeykin, Nickl
New York Islanders forward Leo Komarov is far from a free agent. Not only is the veteran still actively playing with the Islanders this season, who hope to have a long playoff run ahead of them as well, but Komarov also has one year left on his current deal. Yet, that hasn’t stopped European clubs from making their interest known, should Komarov be bought out by New York this off-season. After all, Komarov had landed on waivers thrice this season and has just four points in 21 games. The Islanders could easily see the upside in opening up more than $1MM in savings next season by buying out the remaining year and $3MM cap hit of Komarov’s contract. There would not likely be much NHL interest in the 34-year-old either if he hits the open market this summer, hence the push from European suitors already. Just how far has the early courting process already come? Finnish hockey insider Markus Nuutinen reports that Komarov actually has a handshake agreement in place for next season in the event he is bought out by the Islanders, but it isn’t in his native Finland. Instead, Komarov is expected to return to the KHL’s Dynamo Moscow, the same club he was with prior to beginning his NHL career back in 2012-13. There are obviously no terms available yet for this unofficial agreement, but it would come as little surprise if a Komarov reunion with Moscow does come to fruition.
- Though most Detroit Red Wings fans have likely forgotten or are unaware of the name Alexander Kadeykin, the club is assuredly keeping tabs on him. Unfortunately, they will not have the opportunity to negotiate with the KHL forward for yet another year. Following a career year with Salavat Yulaev Ufa, in which he set new highs in goals and points, Kadeykin has signed a one-year extension to remain with Ufa, the club announced. It certainly didn’t hurt his extension chances that Kadeykin was second on the team in postseason scoring, as Ufa made it to the conference semifinals of the Gagarin Cup. Kadeykin, 27, was a seventh-round pick of the Red Wings in 2014 and since he has never made the move overseas, he remains under indefinite team control. One more year in the KHL does not completely rule out the chances that he will ever sign with Detroit, but with each passing year it grows more and more unlikely. Should Kadeykin finally decide to try his hand in the world’s top league, the 6’5″, 220-lb. center with ever-improving offensive numbers would certainly be a name to watch.
- Anaheim Ducks defensive prospect Thimo Nickl returned to Europe this season after spending last year in the QMJHL, a decision that was likely spurred by numerous factors. The young blue liner initially signed with the U-20 club of Rogle BK, but that was a short-lived stint. After recording five points in his first nine games at the junior level, Nickl was recalled to the SHL squad and has never looked back. In fact, Rogle has been so impressed with the 19-year-old that they have signed him to a one-year extension on an SHL contract. This is unlikely to bother the Ducks at all; a 2020 fourth-round pick out of Austria, Nickl was not expected to push for a spot in the organization any time soon. Playing against pro competition in Sweden, and more so finding success, is surely a developmental path that Anaheim is content to let him follow. The next challenge for Nickl will be postseason play, with the SHL playoffs approaching and Rogle sitting pretty in second place.
Joakim Nygard Clears Waivers
Sunday: Nygard has cleared waivers, as expected. It remains to be seen what comes next for the Oilers forward, whose waiver placement this time around was not necessary for any roster maintenance requirements.
Saturday: The Oilers have been placing veterans on waivers throughout the season to give them roster flexibility and they have done so again as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that Joakim Nygard has been placed on waivers.
A year ago, the 28-year-old showed a bit of promise in a limited role, notching nine points (3-6-9) in 33 games, most of which were spent on the fourth line. That was enough to earn him a one-year, $875K extension, one that actually represented a small dip in pay from the $925K he made on his entry-level deal. However, things haven’t gone as well this season. He cleared waivers back in January and has played in just six games with Edmonton after suiting up for 15 with Farjestad of the SHL prior to the start of the NHL campaign.
Interestingly enough, this isn’t a waiver placement to get Nygard to the taxi squad as he already is there now. Assuming he clears once more though, his clock will be reset, meaning he can play in up to nine games before needing to clear again.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/04/21
There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:
Central Division
- Currently in a 3-7-0 slide in their past ten games, the Chicago Blackhawks are looking to shake things up. Today, that means demoting a large group of players who aren’t getting the job done. The Blackhawks announced that forwards Reese Johnson and Mackenzie Entwistle and defensemen Nicolas Beaudin, Ian Mitchell, and Lucas Carlsson were re-assigned to the taxi squad, while forwards Brandon Pirri and Mikael Hakkarainen and defenseman Alec Regula were returned to the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs. The move also served to accommodate recent additions like Vinnie Hinostroza and Mike Hardman.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have made one small taxi squad swap, announcing that veteran AHLer Zac Dalpe has been assigned to the squad while off-season KHL import Mikhail Grigorenko has been recalled to the active roster. Grigorenko has seven points in 18 games so far, but Columbus would like to see more as they battle for a playoff spot.
- The Dallas Stars have moved Jason Dickinson to injured reserve, recalling Nicholas Caamano and Joel L’Esperance in the process. Dickinson played just yesterday for the Stars but will miss the next few games at least with a lower-body injury. L’Esperance was later assigned back to the taxi squad.
- The Detroit Red Wings assigned Frans Nielsen, Givani Smith, and Michael Rasmussen to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. The three have been shuffled back and forth routinely in recent days.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning recalled Christopher Gibson and Ben Thomas from the taxi squad in advance of their game against Detroit, per CapFriendly, with Andreas Borgman being sent down. Following the game, Gibson and Luke Schenn were sent back to the taxi squad.
North Division
- With their NHL goaltenders finally getting healthy, the Ottawa Senators have demoted young keeper Filip Gustavsson to the taxi squad. Forward Alex Formenton was also re-assigned to the squad. Even in just a small four-game sample size, Gustavsson has clearly been the Senators’ best goalie this season and it is hard to imagine that he will spend much more time off the active roster moving forward.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled Veini Vehvilainen from the taxi squad, reports David Alter of The Hockey News. He was acquired from Columbus last month and immediately went to the taxi squad after clearing quarantine; he’ll serve as Toronto’s backup goalie tonight. Alex Galchenyuk was also recalled from the taxi squad with Timothy Liljegren being sent to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.
- The Montreal Canadiens have assigned Gustav Olofsson to Laval of the AHL from the taxi squad while recalling Brandon Baddock, per the AHL’s transactions log. Olofsson has 59 career NHL games under his belt but has yet to play with Montreal this season while Baddock was recently injured in the minors and is simply up to keep their taxi squad at the minimum number of players.
East Division
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-assigned Anthony Angello and Frederick Gaudreau to the taxi squad, moving Justin Almeida and Will Reilly to the AHL to make room.
- The Boston Bruins returned Zach Senyshyn and Steven Kampfer to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly, as they try to bank a little bit more cap room before next week’s trade deadline. Both will likely be recalled for Monday’s game against Philadelphia.
- The Buffalo Sabres assigned Jean-Sebastien Dea to Rochester of the AHL while sending down Dustin Tokarski, Rasmus Asplund, and Jacob Bryson to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.
- The New Jersey Devils recalled Jesper Boqvist from the taxi squad prior to their game today, per CapFriendly. Tyce Thompson was sent to the taxi squad in a corresponding move.
- The New York Islanders aren’t in action today which means Oliver Wahlstrom is back on the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. Austin Czarnik was also sent down to the taxi squad.
- The New York Rangers assigned Kaapo Kakko to the taxi squad in their usual off-day move, per CapFriendly. Joining him is Vitali Kravtsov who made his NHL debut on Saturday.
- The Philadelphia Flyers returned defensemen Shayne Gostisbehere and Samuel Morin to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. Gostisbehere cleared waivers this week and figures to move back and forth on this list regularly over the next few weeks.
West Division
- The Colorado Avalanche changed up their taxi squad according to the AHL’s transactions log. Sheldon Dries, Dan Renouf, T.J. Tynan, and Adam Werner were all sent to the AHL with Greg Pateryn, Jayson Megna, Peyton Jones, and Kyle Burroughs all being recalled to the taxi squad. Liam O’Brien was also sent to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly.
- The Los Angeles Kings sent Sean Durzi, Lias Andersson, Troy Grosenick, Matt Luff and Akil Thomas to AHL Ontario, notes Zach Dooley of LA Kings Insider. The last three were sent from the taxi squad with Mark Alt and Matt Villalta being recalled to the taxi squad in a corresponding move.
- The Anaheim Ducks have recalled Sam Carrick to the active roster plus Maxim Golod and Olle Eriksson Ek to the taxi squad, per the AHL’s transactions log. Lukas Dostal was sent back to the AHL with Eriksson Ek’s promotion. Trevor Zegras and David Backes were also recalled from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly, with Anthony Stolarz being sent to the taxi squad.
- The San Jose Sharks recalled Brinson Pasichnuk from AHL San Jose, per the AHL’s transactions log. The 23-year-old was a highly sought after college free agent last year but has yet to make his NHL debut. CapFriendly adds that Antti Suomela and Christian Jaros were also assigned to the taxi squad.
- The Arizona Coyotes recalled Lane Pederson and Jordan Gross from the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. Gross has three assists in four games this season while Pederson scored in his NHL debut on Friday.
- The Minnesota Wild are off today and as a result, they have sent Kyle Rau and Nico Sturm to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. Both will likely be recalled for tomorrow’s game versus Colorado.
- The Vegas Golden Knights have returned Cody Glass and Dylan Coghlan to the taxi squad, per CapFriendly. Both were recalled under emergency exception exemptions on Saturday.
This page will be updated throughout the day.