Minnesota Wild Activate Marcus Johansson From Injured Reserve
The Minnesota Wild are suddenly must-see television after adding Kirill Kaprizov, arguably the most exciting player in franchise history. With a record of 18-10-1 it’s not just Kaprizov that should be drawing your attention though, the entire Wild roster seems energized and competitive. Today, they’ll get back another important piece, activating Marcus Johansson from injured reserve.
Johansson, 30, is on the second season of a two-year, $9MM contract signed with the Buffalo Sabres in 2019 but has been out for weeks with an upper-body injury. He has missed Minnesota’s last 16 games and has suited up just 11 times this season. Despite his regular season struggles the last two years, Johansson showed exactly what he was capable of with the Boston Bruins in the 2019 playoffs, routinely being one of the team’s best players and recording 11 points in 22 games.
It’s that postseason performance that should excite fans of the Wild, given how that wasn’t the only time Johansson has gone past the first round of the playoffs. That’s something Minnesota hasn’t accomplished since 2015 and the team hasn’t gone past the second round since 2003. If this team is to change that trend, they’ll need Johansson firing on all cylinders and making his $4.5MM cap hit a worthwhile investment. If he’s not playing up to that level, perhaps his expiring contract could be one shipped out to open up room for a different addition.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 03/22/21
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:
West Division
- The Arizona Coyotes have recalled Hudson Fasching from the taxi squad and Ivan Prosvetov to the taxi squad from the AHL. Michael Chaput and David Tendeck have taken their places on the taxi squad and AHL respectively.
- The Los Angeles Kings released an ominous statement today, indicating that Olli Maatta did not travel with the team and is waiting for a further update later in the week. The team has recalled Austin Strand in the meantime, but the worry now is Maatta’s health after taking a big hit from Zach Whitecloud last night and suffering an upper-body injury.
North Division
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled Ian Scott to the taxi squad, meaning Frederik Andersen is likely going to be out a little while. The team now has Jack Campbell as the default starter and Michael Hutchinson as the backup, but needed a third healthy netminder for the taxi squad. Scott, 22, is coming off a lost year due to major hip surgery and has not played a game at any level this season.
- The Ottawa Senators have recalled Clark Bishop, Filip Gustavsson, and Artem Zub from the taxi squad, moving Vitaly Abramov and Kevin Mandolese into their spots. The Senators are back in action tonight against the Calgary Flames after several days off.
- Tyler Graovac has been recalled by the Vancouver Canucks, with Marc Michaelis and Brogan Rafferty both returned to the taxi squad. The Canucks are in action tonight against the Winnipeg Jets.
Central Division
- The Columbus Blue Jackets unexpectedly recalled Mikhail Grigorenko from the taxi squad, even though head coach John Tortorella said there would be no lineup changes. Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch reports that the move was likely precautionary, meaning someone is dealing with a minor injury.
- The Nashville Predators have moved Rem Pitlick and Alexandre Carrier to the taxi squad, another one of their daily moves to conserve cap and cash. Pitlick was only up on an emergency loan yesterday and has played in four games this season.
- The Dallas Stars have moved Justin Dowling and Tanner Kero back to the taxi squad, given that they don’t play until tomorrow. The Stars are coming off another shootout loss, taking their record to 10-10-8 on the season.
East Division
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have sent Sam Miletic back to the AHL after calling him up over the weekend to the taxi squad. The 23-year-old is still waiting to make his NHL debut and has two points in six games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins so far.
- The Buffalo Sabres have recalled both Rasmus Asplund and Dustin Tokarski from the taxi squad, announcing that Kyle Okposo is not with the team on their current road trip as he nurses an injury. Carter Hutton starts tonight for the Sabres.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Vancouver Canucks Claim Travis Boyd
If you don’t have depth, just take someone else’s. The Vancouver Canucks have claimed the second Toronto Maple Leafs forward in a few days, grabbing Travis Boyd off waivers today. Boyd will be following former linemate Jimmy Vesey to Vancouver, after the latter was claimed last week.
Boyd, 27, signed a one-year, $700K deal with the Maple Leafs in free agency and actually received a pretty substantial opportunity at the NHL level. In 20 games he recorded eight points, mostly working on the fourth line whenever he did get onto the roster. The former Washington Capital has carved out a career as a “tweener,” stuck somewhere between being an AHL star and NHL depth player. In 105 NHL games he has 39 points, but is nearly a point-per-game performer in the minor leagues.
For the Canucks, this move and the Vesey one are reminiscent of a team that is preparing to sell at the deadline. Both former Maple Leafs can be either flipped or fill the holes left by other trades, rather than really impact the fate of the Canucks down the stretch. Vancouver is 16-16-3 at this point in the season and though the playoffs are certainly not out of the picture, really competing for the Stanley Cup would be extremely difficult without massive improvement.
For the Maple Leafs, they obviously would have liked to get Vesey and Boyd through waivers, but will take the added cap space that their departures come with. The team is expected to be a big player at the trade deadline as they attempt to win a playoff round, or even perhaps get all the way to the Conference Finals given their route through the North Division.
Edmonton Oilers Sign Michael Kesselring
The Edmonton Oilers have announced a three-year entry-level contract for prospect Michael Kesselring. The deal will begin for the 2021-22 season, but Kesselring has signed an AHL contract with the Bakersfield Condors for the rest of this season.
Now 21, the 2018 sixth-round pick has spent the last two seasons at Northeastern University, racking up 13 points in 54 games. Though his offensive numbers aren’t eye-popping, the 6’4″ Kesselring actually has some strong scoring instincts and can jump into the play thanks to his above-average (if not excellent) skating ability. His skills defending the rush may be most polished though, as his long reach and quick feet can close a gap in an instant.
Still, there’s a long way to go if he wants to secure a full-time role in Edmonton. The young defenseman will get his first taste of professional hockey this spring and will have to adapt to the speed of the AHL game. In training camp for next season, he should be a player to watch, given how impressive he’s been in previous Oilers development camps.
Five Key Stories: 03/15/21 – 03/21/21
While it was relatively quiet on the trade front this past week aside from Colorado adding a bit of goaltending depth, there was still some notable news around the league which receives an extra look in our key stories.
Coyotes Open To Moving Garland: The Coyotes are one of the lower-scoring teams in the NHL and Conor Garland is their leading scorer with 25 points in 30 games. Despite that, it appears as if Arizona is open to trading the 25-year-old. The reason would appear to be two-fold. The first is that he’d yield a good return, especially with a price tag that’s just above the league minimum that even most cap-strapped teams would be able to afford. The second is that he’s arbitration-eligible for the first time this summer and is poised to land a significant raise. Arizona’s prospect pool has taken a hit the last couple of years and while they have some veterans that they can move, Garland would undoubtedly allow them to add something of significance to their group.
Krueger Fired: With things going off the rails in Buffalo, it seemed like it was only a matter of time before a coaching change was made. That time came on Wednesday when the Sabres fired head coach Ralph Krueger along with assistant coach Steve Smith with Don Granato taking over head coaching duties on an interim basis. Krueger was in his second season with Buffalo but only managed to compile a 36-50-12 record; only six of those wins came in their 29 games this season. An extensive coaching search is expected as GM Kevyn Adams will now be tasked to find the right person to help lead Buffalo out of what is about to become a decade-long playoff drought.
Lee Out For The Year: The Islanders will be without one of their top forwards with the announcement that Anders Lee is out for the year due to ACL surgery. It’s undoubtedly a big blow to their attack as the captain is tied for the team lead in goals with 12 while he averages over 17 minutes per game. However, the potential silver lining is that the placement makes him eligible to go on LTIR, thus allowing New York to bring in someone making up to his $7MM AAV in as a replacement. They will be limited to shopping on the rental market for a replacement but all of a sudden, they become a team to watch for between now and the trade deadline although the opportunity to add comes with a big price in Lee’s absence.
Roy Extension: The Kings have received a strong contribution from Matt Roy over the past couple of seasons and have rewarded him for his efforts, inking the 26-year-old to a three-year, $9.45MM contract extension. The $3.15MM AAV is a huge jump on the league-minimum $700K he has made over the last two years but in that time, Roy has established himself as a top-four piece on the back end for Los Angeles. Notably, the contract also buys out two UFA-eligible years which certainly was factored into the price tag.
Surgery For Chiarot: The Canadiens will be without one of their defensemen for a while as Ben Chiarot underwent surgery to repair a broken hand sustained in a fight earlier in the week. The expected recovery is six-to-eight weeks although GM Marc Bergevin expressed optimism that the veteran will be able to return before the end of the regular season. Chiarot is in his second year with the Canadiens and had spent most of the season partnered with Shea Weber in their top-four while logging just shy of 22 minutes a night in ice time. The fact that he’s expected to return will effectively restrict Montreal from going deep into LTIR to try to replace him.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Trade Candidate: Alex Goligoski
With the trade deadline quickly approaching, we continue our closer look at some of the players who have a good chance of being on the move between now and April 12th.
For more than a decade, Alex Goligoski had been one of the more consistent secondary offensive blueliners. From 2009-10 through 2019-20, the 35-year-old had just one year below 30 points while averaging more than 20 minutes of ice time per game. It was reasonable to expect the same from him coming into this season.
However, that hasn’t been the case at all which hasn’t helped an Arizona attack that wasn’t the strongest to begin with. Now, the Coyotes find themselves out of a playoff spot with several veterans set to become unrestricted free agents. If they wind up selling, he will be a name to keep an eye on.
Contract
Goligoski is in the final season of a five-year, $27.375MM contract ($5.475MM AAV) with a $4MM salary. Per CapFriendly, his deal contains an eight-team no-trade clause. He will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
2020-21
Goligoski had an assist in Arizona’s season opener and since then, he has just one assist in a 30-game stretch. This type of offensive drought is simply unprecedented for him and has certainly come at an inopportune time both in terms of trying to help his market value for free agency and his trade value for the Coyotes.
It’s not all negative, however. He has been an anchor on Arizona’s top penalty killing unit, one that is well above the league average; it’s that element that may be the most appealing to teams looking to upgrade on the back end. He also has been more disciplined than usual with just four minor penalties despite logging more than 22 minutes per night so far.
Is that a great return on such a high price tag? Certainly not but the fact remains that Goligoski is still a capable defender but this season, he has been more of a shutdown option than the two-way player he had been for so long. Who knows, perhaps a change of scenery would help revive his offensive game as well?
Season Stats
31 GP, 0 goals, 2 assists, 2 points, -1 rating, 8 PIMS, 36 shots, 22:24 TOI, 46.6 CF%
Potential Suitors
Quite a few teams will be on the lookout for defensive upgrades although Goligoski’s season and contract will have him a little lower on the wish list at this time. However, as other options are either dealt or pulled off the market, they could pivot to him closer to the April 12th trade deadline.
In the Central, Chicago is a possible fit. They have the cap space with Brent Seabrook (and others) on LTIR which makes them one of the few potential playoff teams that can make a move without requiring Arizona to retain money. They’ve had varying degrees of success from their youngsters but if they are serious about trying to make the postseason, adding someone like Goligoski would upgrade their third pairing and penalty kill without costing much in terms of future assets.
Among East Division teams, Boston has been hit hard by the injury bug and has been going with a by-committee approach for most of the season. Goligoski would give them a stable option on the third pairing at a minimum with the potential to move up if needed. At this point, they’re probably setting their sights higher in terms of a rental to pursue but if those don’t pan out, they could pivot to Goligoski and depending on who returns between now and then, they may not need an offset as well. A similar case can be made for Philadelphia who is believed to have interest in him if other moves don’t pan out.
In the North, Winnipeg has a definite need to add to their back end, particularly on the left side. However, they’re already into LTIR and don’t have enough room in there to absorb his full cap hit. Unlike regular cap room, it doesn’t accrue on a daily basis either so some sort of offset would be needed. Montreal has a void to fill with Ben Chiarot out for six-to-eight weeks but with minimal cap space, making such a move work would be difficult.
As for the West, there isn’t a great fit unless Los Angeles was to go on a bit of a run over the next few weeks to pull themselves into the race. If that happened, they could benefit from a veteran like Goligoski on the back end and have more than enough cap space to bring him in. If that doesn’t happen though, Arizona will have to look outside the division for a trade partner.
Likelihood Of A Trade
Simply because of his contract, a Goligoski trade can’t be pegged as a certainty. There will be cheaper options to choose from (the Coyotes have several other veteran rentals with lower cap hits) and there is a possibility that by the time the dust settles, contenders opt for those lower-priced players and there isn’t a fit for him. However, Goligoski is better than quite a few of the other rentals out there even with the season he’s having which is important. A lot will depend on their willingness to retain salary and/or take a contract back to offset some of the money and if that happens, there’s a better chance than not that he moves.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NCAA Releases Frozen Four Bracket
While March Madness is ongoing in basketball, hockey’s version is also set to get underway later this month. Today, the NCAA announced its 16-team field for the Division I men’s championship tournament which begins on Friday and will end with the Frozen Four next month. The field is as follows:
Fargo Regional
1) North Dakota
2) Minnesota-Duluth
3) Michigan
4) American Int’l
Bridgeport Regional
1) Wisconsin
2) Massachusetts
3) Lake Superior State
4) Bemidji State
Loveland Regional
1) Minnesota
2) Minnesota State
3) Quinnipiac*
4) Omaha
*- Replaces Saint Lawrence after they were forced to withdraw due to NCAA Health and Safety protocols.
Albany Regional
1) Boston College
2) St. Cloud State
3) Boston U.
4) Notre Dame
The Frozen Four will take place in Pittsburgh on April 8th and 10th featuring the winners from each region. The full bracket can be found here.
The field features the top five scorers from the regular season including a pair of undrafted players in Quinnipiac senior Odeen Tufto and North Dakota senior Jordan Kawaguchi who had considerable NHL interest last season before deciding to play out his eligibility. NHL teams will have to wait a little longer to try to sign those players but now with the tournament field set, there should be an uptick in signings over the next few days both on the undrafted free agent market and those that were previously drafted but are ready to turn pro.
In terms of the free agent class, our Zach Leach took a look at many of the notable names earlier this month. Notre Dame forward Alex Steeves is one player that is known to have plenty of NHL interest already but with them getting the final seed in the Albany region, he won’t be signing just yet.
COVID Protocol Related Absences: 03/21/21
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 complete, updated list for today:
Boston – Sean Kuraly, Jake DeBrusk, David Krejci, David Pastrnak, Craig Smith
NY Islanders – Noah Dobson
NY Rangers – Phil Di Giuseppe (plus their coaching staff)
St. Louis – Zach Sanford
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: Alexandre Texier, Columbus
It’s certainly encouraging that there were no new additions to the list from Boston given their recent outbreak or from anywhere else in the league. Things went in the right direction today with Texier being activated and immediately sent to the taxi squad, a move that may be more procedural than anything else since the youngster only missed two games while being in the protocols.
*denotes new addition
Snapshots: Sorensen, Mrazek, St. Lawrence
The San Jose Sharks might be moving on from forward Marcus Sorensen, especially considering he will be hitting unrestricted free agency at the end of the season. In fact, Sorensen could find himself in the North Division soon as Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reported that several Canadian teams have interest in the rental forward.
“Marcus Sorensen in San Jose is more of a traditional rental,” said Johnston during the “Headlines” segment on Hockey Night in Canada. “[Sorensen] only makes $1.5 million, he’s a UFA at the end of the year and I know he’s drawn some interest from the Canadian teams.”
Sorensen’s numbers aren’t overwhelming, however, with just a goal and three points in 17 games, while averaging 11:58 of ATOI. However, the experienced veteran would provide some bottom-six depth at a cheap salary and cost.
- The Carolina Hurricanes saw a familiar face on the ice as injured goaltender Petr Mrazek, who has been out since Jan. 30 after undergoing thumb surgery, practiced with the team on Sunday. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour said that Mrazek’s return will depend on how the netminder feels. “He’s got to feel like he can play and contribute at the level he needs to,” said Brind’Amour (via NHL.com’s Michael Smith). “It’s a good sign we got him back out there. … I think we’re moving in the right direction.” Mrazek’s return would be a big boost to the Hurricanes. In four games this year, he has a 2-1 record and a .955 save percentage.
- A tough day for St. Lawrence University. One day after capturing the ECAC Conference Championship and an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament, College Hockey News reports that the collegiate team has withdrawn its automatic bid to the tourney due to a positive COVID-19 test. In fact, head coach Brent Brekke announced that he was the one who tested positive. “I’m extremely sorry that this group has lost the opportunity to compete in the NCAA Tournament,” Brekke said. “It was my own test that came back positive today. The roller coaster of emotions in the last 24 hours for everyone is unimaginable. Last night we are holding the trophy above our heads and today we are shaking our heads in disbelief that the season is over. This hurts. But the one thing that can’t be taken away from this team — they are champions.”
Trade Deadline Primer: Florida Panthers
Although we’re just two months into the season, the trade deadline is already less than a month away. Where does each team stand and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Florida Panthers.
The Florida Panthers are in an unusual position. Usually a team that is either standing pat or selling, the team has taken a whole new level under head coach Joel Quenneville, becoming a dominant team in the East as they sit just two points behind first-place Tampa Bay with the Carolina Hurricanes just one point behind them. However, no other team is particularly close behind those three teams, practically guaranteeing them a playoff spot. The question is, however, can they get out of the East?
Record
20-6-4, 44 points, 2nd in Central Division
Deadline Status
Buyer
Deadline Cap Space
$8.48MM in full-season space ($15.98MM at the trade deadline), 1/3 retention slots used, 45/50 contracts used per CapFriendly
Upcoming Draft Picks
2021: FLR 1st, FLR 2nd, FLR 3rd, FLR 4th, FLR 5th, FLR 6th, FLR 7th, WIN 7th
2022: FLR 1st, FLR 2nd, FLR 3rd, FLR 4th, FLR 5th, FLR 6th, FLR 7th
Trade Chips
The Panthers best asset is someone who isn’t even signed to a contract. The team let forward Henrik Borgstrom leave for the Liiga this offseason, but still retain the restricted free agent’s rights. The once-highly touted prospect has struggled in the Panthers organization despite his incredible success in two years at the University of Denver. Borgstrom played in 50 games for Florida during the 2018-19 season, playing mostly a third-line role, scoring eight goals and 18 points. The belief last year was that Borgstrom would move up into the lineup and improve on those numbers. Instead, he spent most of the season with the Springfield Thunderbirds of the AHL, where he struggled and was rumored to be unhappy with his role. Regardless, he is still a player that has value and could be a valuable chip for a rebuilding team that could use a player that could immediately step into an NHL lineup. With HIFK Helsinki in the Liiga, the 23-year-old Borgstrom has 11 goals and 19 points in 27 games.
Florida also has a full complement of draft picks over the next two years, another way to pry a veteran player loose from selling teams. The team has drafted in the late lottery in the past few years, but now will be drafting much later. That makes those picks much more tradeable with many teams eager to get their hands on any first-rounder.
Others to Watch For: F Brett Connolly ($2.43MM, 2023 UFA); F Aleksi Heponiemi ($925K, 2022 RFA); D Keith Yandle ($6.35MM, 2023 UFA)
Team Needs
1) Top-Six Forward – The Panthers have been quite successful this season and have done it with a number of players who normally wouldn’t have been considered top-six players a year ago, including Patric Hornqvist and Alexander Wennberg. The team could use a big boost if they could add a significant piece to their top-six, which would allow either Hornqvist or Wennberg to move a line back and fortify the team’s depth. The team could definitely use more experience up front, pushing one of those two down to the third line. Of course, Hornqvist has been thriving this year with 11 goals and 24 points in 30 games, suggesting the team might be better off looking to add a center instead, but the team could certainly look to add more offense, no matter what it adds.
2) Top-Four Defenseman – The Panthers might want to make a play for a top-four defenseman who can play next to Aaron Ekblad. There are rumors that the team is looking at young players like Vince Dunn and Dante Fabbro as potential long-term pieces to the franchise. Florida does have a significant number of prospects, if they are willing to move them, to acquire a core piece and give the team extra defensive depth, even if they are 11th in the NHL in goals allowed.