East Notes: McCann, Tanev, Buchnevich, Bruins
The Penguins got some good news on the injury front today as the team announced (Twitter link) that Jared McCann has been activated off injured reserve. He had missed the last six games due to an upper-body injury and has been limited to just 17 games this season though he has been productive, managing five goals and five assists. McCann’s return is of particular importance with Evgeni Malkin’s injury as he’ll now slide onto the second line in Malkin’s absence.
Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, as one player returned, another went down. Following today’s game against New Jersey, the team tweeted that winger Brandon Tanev suffered an upper-body injury in the pregame warmup which caused him to miss his first game of the season. The 29-year-old is quietly averaging 0.5 points per game for the Penguins this season which is a career high and will be re-evaluated when the team returns to Pittsburgh.
Elsewhere around the East:
- Rangers winger Pavel Buchnevich is in the midst of a career year but Newsday’s Colin Stephenson posits that the 25-year-old should be a trade candidate as a result. The pending restricted free agent has 26 points in 28 games but with several young wingers on the roster already – plus Vitali Kravtsov soon arriving – he suggests that they may need the money that would otherwise be earmarked for him to fill their long-standing vacancy down the middle with an asset or two from a Buchnevich deal helping to facilitate that move. Buchnevich will be eligible for salary arbitration this offseason and will be looking for a fair bit more than his $3MM qualifying offer.
- The Bruins provided an update with regards to their COVID-19 situation. The team has returned to Boston and will self-quarantine through Tuesday when their situation will be re-assessed. The five players that are currently on the CPRA list have also returned to Boston but did not travel with the team. The Bruins are next scheduled to play on Thursday after their game against the Sabres today and on Tuesday against the Islanders were postponed.
Jack Johnson Undergoes Hernia Surgery
The season has come to an end for Rangers defenseman Jack Johnson as TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (Twitter link) that the blueliner underwent hernia surgery on Friday. He’s expected to be fully recovered by June or July which technically would leave a small window open for him to be available if New York was to make it deep into the postseason, something that doesn’t seem likely at this point.
The 34-year-old signed with the Rangers in October, inking a one-year, $1.15MM contract after being bought out by Pittsburgh. He had a limited role with New York, suiting up in just 13 games this season although he did miss eight games due to a groin injury earlier in the year. His season will end with just one goal to his name while he averaged a career-low 16:58 per game.
Johnson cleared waivers back on Monday which makes the timing of this a little noteworthy. Had Johnson had the surgery while on the NHL roster, his full salary would have counted against New York’s Upper Limit. However, with the taxi squad being treated as if it was an assignment to the AHL, only $75K remains on the books, giving them a bit more salary cap flexibility to work with as they try to navigate a potential significant bonus cushion overage with so many players on entry-level contracts on their active roster.
Considering the limited role that Johnson had for them this season, it seems unlikely that Johnson will be brought back for next season. Instead, he’ll once again enter free agency where he may be hard-pressed to land a similar-priced contract given this surgery and struggles when he was in New York’s lineup.
Trade Candidate: Erik Haula
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.
The last 13 months have been a bit of a roller coaster for Erik Haula. Last season, he was doing a nice job with Carolina on their third line before he was somewhat surprisingly traded at the deadline a year ago in the Vincent Trocheck deal. He played out the stretch with Florida and then entered free agency as one of the top options on the market in what was a weak center free agent class.
However, it took quite a while for him to find a place to play, eventually signing in late December with Nashville on what looked a well below-market contract. Things haven’t gone particularly well for him this season – something that can be said for a lot of the Predators’ players – and as a result, it looks like Haula will be on the move before the trade deadline once again.
Contract
Haula is on a one-year, $1.75MM contract and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. His deal does not contain any trade protection.
2020-21
Haula came into the season looking like he’d be a fixture on Nashville’s third line behind Ryan Johansen and Matt Duchene. That’s mostly been the case but it’s also not a good thing. Johansen and Duchene have both missed time due to injury and have struggled mightily and yet Haula hasn’t been able to take advantage of it with Mikael Granlund instead being moved down the middle.
It’s not as if Haula’s ice time has been limited by the lack of top-six opportunities at five-on-five either; he’s a regular on both the penalty kill and power play and actually sits sixth in ATOI among forwards but with three goals, the production simply hasn’t been there. One thing working in his favor is that he’s still winning faceoffs at an above-average clip but that in itself won’t be enough to garner a more favorable market this summer.
Right now, he may be viewed around the league as a fourth-line upgrade over someone that can be on a third line. A change of scenery would give him a chance to potentially rebuild some value by working his way up the lineup and with Nashville on the outside looking in at a playoff spot, it’s an opportunity he likely wouldn’t mind getting.
Season Stats
26 GP, 3 goals, 6 assists, 9 points, -5 rating, 8 PIMS, 34 shots, 56.3% faceoff wins, 15:35 TOI, 48.4 CF%
Potential Suitors
Searching for affordable bottom-six upgrades is an annual tradition heading into the trade deadline and with so many teams being cap-strapped, there could be even more emphasis than usual on making low-cost incremental upgrades.
In the Central, Florida is a logical landing spot for the second straight year. Their third and fourth-line centers are still quite unproven at the NHL level and Haula would have the benefit of some familiarity with Joel Quenneville’s system from his brief time there a year ago. The Panthers also have the cap space to absorb the contract without any sort of salary offset which is something that can’t be said for some other potentially interested teams. If Columbus hangs in the playoff race and opts not to sell, Haula would make sense there as well with a fairly weak center group in general.
In the East, the continually-long list of injuries in Pittsburgh makes them a team likely to look for some depth upgrades that can play a bigger role in the short-term and Haula could conceivably slide onto their third line with Evgeni Malkin out week-to-week. The finances would be a bit tricky, however, with most of their cap room derived from Jason Zucker’s LTIR placement but he is expected back before the end of the regular season. Nashville would need to retain or Pittsburgh would have to send a player back to make the money work.
As for the North Division, Montreal has already been linked to one similarly-priced rental center as they could stand to upgrade on the fourth line while their top two young centers have had some ups and downs this season. As is the case with Pittsburgh, however, they can’t afford him straight up and would need retention to facilitate a move. Unlike others on this list, there’s also the two-week quarantine period to contend with.
In the West, Tyson Jost and J.T. Compher’s struggles this season should have Colorado looking for a short-term upgrade. Knowing the contracts that are coming due for next season, any addition would need to be a rental which Haula is and while he hasn’t been much better than those two, it stands to reason that a change of scenery to an expected contender may help elevate his game. In terms of cap affordability, a lot depends on the status of Erik Johnson and Pavel Francouz, both of whom are on LTIR with no certainty for when or if they’ll be able to return during the regular season.
Likelihood Of A Trade
With Nashville technically only six points out of the final spot in the Central Division, it can’t entirely be ruled out that they opt not to sell in which case Haula will probably stick around. However, if they continue to be on the outside looking in over the next few weeks, he’s a strong candidate to be moved considering his struggles so far while still having a good enough recent track record to make him fit on several playoff-contending teams.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
North Notes: Pettersson, White, Anisimov, Harris
The Canucks have transferred center Elias Pettersson to LTIR, CapFriendly reports (Twitter link). It has been a tough season for the 22-year-old who had a particularly tough stretch to start the season and is now dealing with an upper-body injury, hardly the type of big season he was looking for heading into restricted free agency for the first time. The move is largely procedural, however, as he has already missed eight games and wasn’t expected to play on the road trip. The placement will give Vancouver – who has quietly won seven of the games that Pettersson has missed – some extra short-term salary cap flexibility. The 24-day aspect of the LTIR rules suggests that Pettersson won’t be able to suit up until after Vancouver’s bye week which would peg March 31st as his possible return date.
More from the North Division:
- The Senators are hoping to have Colin White available for Monday’s game against Calgary, notes Postmedia’s Ken Warren. The center has had an inconsistent year, struggling early to the point where he was made a healthy scratch but has still managed to put up eight goals and six assists in 28 games. He missed Wednesday’s game due to an upper-body injury. Meanwhile, center Artem Anisimov remains listed as day-to-day with an upper-body issue of his own. He has missed the last four games and while he had been getting frequently shuffled to and from the taxi squad, he now needs to clear waivers upon getting cleared to return if Ottawa intends to continue to do that with him.
- The Canadiens have made a contract offer to defense prospect Jordan Harris that would see the first year be burned this season, reports Sportsnet’s Eric Engels (Twitter link). The 20-year-old recently wrapped up his junior season with Northeastern and are awaiting the brackets for the Frozen Four tournament to see if their year will continue; no decision on whether to sign or stay in college will be made until the tournament is set on Sunday. Engels notes that Montreal has offered to burn that first year in the NHL which suggests that they could have plans for him down the stretch.
Buffalo Sabres Trade Jonas Johansson
When Michael Houser was signed to an NHL contract yesterday, some wondered whether it meant a trade was coming for one of the other Buffalo Sabres goaltenders. That was a good prediction, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports Jonas Johansson is on his way to the Colorado Avalanche for a 2021 sixth-round pick. The deal, which was first reported by Lance Lysowski of the Buffalo News yesterday when Johansson was not at practice, had a slight hold up but has now been completed.
Johansson, 25, was the 61st overall pick in 2014 and has climbed the ranks of the Buffalo organization over the last few years. In 2019-20 he posted a .921 save percentage in 22 games for the Rochester Americans, while also making his first appearance at the NHL level. Expected to challenge Carter Hutton this season for the Sabres backup role, he has struggled instead, posting an 0-5-1 record and .884 save percentage in seven appearances. John Vogl of The Athletic called him the worst goalie he’s seen in 19 seasons covering the Sabres, though obviously, the Avalanche believe he can provide some value for the team.
Perhaps that’s because for Colorado, an .884 would be a tremendous upgrade at the backup goaltending position. With Pavel Francouz injured, the team has used Hunter Miska in that role this season, where he has registered an .838 in five appearances. With their sights set on the postseason and not much proven talent behind starter Philipp Grubauer, the Avalanche have decided to add another name to the mix.
While a sixth-round pick doesn’t mean much in the long run, it could signal the start of a fire sale in Buffalo. Johansson is set to become a Group VI unrestricted free agent in the summer and could be just the first of several rentals sold off as the deadline approaches. The Sabres have quite a few expiring contracts, including Taylor Hall, Eric Staal, Tobias Rieder, Riley Sheahan, Brandon Montour, Matt Irwin, Jake McCabe, Linus Ullmark and Hutton. Any number of those could be on their way out, especially if GM Kevyn Adams is happy to take draft picks in return for the lesser names.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 03/20/21
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
- After clearing waivers, Michael Amadio has been sent to the taxi squad by the Los Angeles Kings. With that move made, the team then loaned Lias Andersson to Ontario of the AHL; the 22-year-old hasn’t seen any NHL action in more than a month.
- The Minnesota Wild have recalled Joseph Cramarossa from the taxi squad while sending Luke Johnson to the taxi squad. Cramarossa will make his Minnesota debut tonight; it will be his first NHL game in almost four years.
- The Colorado Avalanche have swapped backup goaltenders as their AHL affiliate announced that Hunter Miska has been sent down while Adam Werner was recalled to the Avs. Miska struggled in his last outing on Tuesday, allowing four goals on just seven shots to Anaheim before being pulled after the first period.
- It’s an even swap in Arizona, as the Coyotes have announced that two players have been recalled from the taxi squad while two others have been reassigned to the taxi squad. Forward Hudson Fasching and defenseman Jordan Gross will join the active roster, while forward Michael Chaput and goalie Ivan Prosvetov will take a seat.
- The Anaheim Ducks have reassigned defenseman Josh Mahura directly from the active roster to the AHL’s San Diego Gulls. Mahura has played in 11 games for the Ducks this season, including each of their past eight, and has not looked out of place, but has seemingly been relegated back to the minors for the time being.
Central Division
- The Detroit Red Wings weren’t just calling Dennis Cholowski up to skate with the taxi squad. The young defenseman has now been placed on the active roster and is expected to make his season debut this evening against the Stars. The 23-year-old Cholowski actually already has 88 games at the NHL level and was playing extremely well for the Grand Rapids Griffins before this call-up.
- The Nashville Predators have brought up Alexandre Carrier and Ben Harpur from the taxi squad while sending Michael McCarron down to the taxi squad. The three have frequently been involved in taxi squad moves for the past few weeks.
- Mark Pysyk has been placed on the Injured Reserve by the Dallas Stars, retroactive to March 11 when he initially suffered his current lower-body injury. Dallas will replace Pysyk with the options already on their active roster, as they have reassigned fellow defenseman Taylor Fedun to the taxi squad and filled their open roster spots by recalling a trio of forwards: Nick Caamano, Rhett Gardner, and Tanner Kero.
East Division
- The New Jersey Devils have recalled Mikhail Maltsev and Nicholas Merkley to the active roster, while also bringing Gilles Senn up to serve as the taxi squad goaltender. The Devils will play the Pittsburgh Penguins this afternoon.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled Colton Sceviour and Anthony Angello from the taxi squad in advance of that game against New Jersey. Sam Miletic has been recalled from the AHL to the taxi squad in a corresponding move.
- Anton Blidh has been returned to the AHL by the Boston Bruins, clearing a spot on the taxi squad and sending the 26-year-old back where he has spent most of the season. Blidh has five points in nine games for the Providence Bruins this year.
- The New York Rangers have swapped Mason Geertsen and Jonny Brodzinski, moving the former to the AHL and the latter to the taxi squad. Geertsen, 25, is still waiting to make his NHL debut but Brodzinski, 27, has already played four games for the Rangers this season.
- Several players are moving up the depth chart for the Philadelphia Flyers. Forward Carsen Twarynski and defenseman Nate Prosser have been promoted from the taxi squad to the active roster, while young Matthew Strome has been recalled to the taxi squad from the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
North Division
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Three Players Clear Waivers
March 20: All three Michaels have cleared waivers according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Amadio and Chaput can now be assigned to the taxi squad or minor leagues, while Houser remain with the Rochester Americans.
March 19: Bad day for Michael. Chris Johnston of Sportsnet reports that Michael Houser (BUF), Michael Amadio (LAK) and Michael Chaput (ARI) have been placed on waivers today. Houser only just signed a contract with the Buffalo Sabres today, meaning he needed to clear waivers to be assigned to the taxi squad or stay in the minor leagues.
Chaput has known these waters before, clearing waivers several times in his career so far. The most recent occasion was in January just before the season began, but now that he has played 10 games for the Arizona Coyotes, he’ll need to clear again to go back to the taxi squad. The 28-year-old forward hasn’t recorded an NHL goal since the 2016-17 season and has gone completely scoreless this season. He’ll likely go unclaimed once again, giving the Coyotes the ability to move him up and down.
It’s Amadio that may draw some interest out of this group, given his age and interesting history. The 24-year-old winger was the 90th overall pick in 2014 and played extremely well in the minor leagues, scoring at a near-point-per-game pace for the Ontario Reign. In 168 NHL contests, he has just 39 points, though 16 of those came last season in a limited role through 68 appearances. Unfortunately, Amadio has just two points on the season this time around and hasn’t even been able to generate many shots on net. Unless a rebuilding team sees him as a piece that could be salvaged, he will likely clear just like the others.
Anton Forsberg Assigned To AHL On Conditioning Stint
It’s been more than a year since Anton Forsberg suited up in an NHL game, so if he’s to carry some of the load for the Ottawa Senators while they deal with injury, he’ll need some conditioning. That’s exactly why the Senators sent Forsberg to the AHL today on a conditioning loan, where he is expected to start for the Belleville Senators this afternoon.
Forsberg, 28, is on his fourth team of the season already but hasn’t played a single game. Originally signing a one-year, one-way, $700K contract with the Edmonton Oilers, he was first claimed by the Carolina Hurricanes, then the Winnipeg Jets, and then the Senators, each time he hit waivers. Not only has that kept him traveling the continent and adhering to various quarantine protocols, but the fact that he hasn’t been able to clear waivers has kept him out of the AHL as well. The veteran goaltender hasn’t been able to get any game action, just seeing practice shots as the third goaltender in most stops.
Now, after Matt Murray suffered an injury in warm-up and replacement Joey Daccord‘s season is likely over with a high-ankle sprain, Forsberg will likely have to start several games down the stretch for the Senators. Ottawa is gratefully off until Monday, but currently have only three healthy goaltenders in the organization. Filip Gustavsson, who has played exactly one period at the NHL level, Kevin Mandolese, who has only two games at the AHL level, and Forsberg, whose 48 games of NHL experience make him feel like a grizzled vet at this point.
The fact that Murray has been downgraded to “week-to-week” and Marcus Hogberg, the regular backup isn’t expected back until later this month, means it could be Forsberg’s crease for the time being. Despite the Senators not playing very tight defense in front of their goaltenders this season, this is actually a huge opportunity for the veteran, who will be showcasing his skills in advance of another unrestricted free agent period.
Snapshots: Pearson, Andersen, Dahlen
To this point, the Vancouver Canucks had approached the future of forward Tanner Pearson with two options. If the two sides could come to terms on an extension, the preference was to retain Pearson beyond this season. If no agreement could be reached before the trade deadline, then the team would instead trade Pearson rather than risk losing him for nothing in free agency. Now, than plan might have been taken away from them. Pearson was injured in the Canucks’ Wednesday night match-up with the Ottawa Senators and was forced to leave the game. The team has since announced that the injury is far worse than merely a one-game absence. Pearson is expected to miss at least four weeks with an undisclosed lower-body injury. With the trade deadline just 24 days away, Pearson will not return to action before the Canucks’ last chance to move him. In a normal year, perhaps a team would be willing to buy low on an injured Pearson at the deadline. However, in this cap-strapped climate, teams aren’t messing around with adding salary and with Pearson not only injured through the deadline but with an uncertain timeline to return altogether, there is very little chance that the Canucks will be able to move him. Perhaps GM Jim Benning and company will be able to leverage the injury into a more affordable extension; Vancouver’s lack of cap space is believed to be the reason why a deal hasn’t already been reached and a cheaper deal would help to make the squeeze work for next season and beyond. Otherwise, its seems the Canucks have missed their chance to get any value out of Pearson before he departs this summer. It’s not and ideal outcome for the team or the player, who would prefer to be competing for a playoff spot if and when he returns to action.
- Another player dealing with injury is Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen. Yet, Andersen continues to suit up for the team. After a two-week hiatus with a lower-body injury, Andersen returned to Leafs earlier this month. However, the injury continues to nag him, he tells TSN’s Kristen Shilton, and it has shown on the ice. Andersen brought a 2-4-0 record, .887 save percentage, and 3.30 GAA in March into Toronto’s Friday night contest with the Calgary Flames, only to allow four goals on 18 shots in yet another loss. Andersen has now allowed 19 goals in his last five games. With their starter faltering, the Leafs will turn to backup Jack Campbell to start their next game, but one game off for Andersen is unlikely to provide any long-term relief. The Maple Leafs, who are serious Stanley Cup contenders this year and face an unusually easy path to the Final without having to go through the Tampa Bay Lightning and/or Boston Bruins in the early rounds this year. If Toronto doesn’t give Andersen another extended break to shake his nagging injury and his play does not improve, they may need to start considering a major change in net before the trade deadline. Andersen’s play this season, injury or not, is also certainly impacting his impending free agency as well.
- San Jose Sharks prospect Jonathan Dahlen has been named the MVP of the Allsvenskan, the team was proud to announce. Although the Allsvenskan is Sweden’s second-tier league, Dahlen’s 25 goals and 71 points in 45 games are still impressive and helped Timra IK to a regular season title (by a wide margin) and a chance at promotion to the SHL. This is Dahlen’s second straight season of 70+ points as the leading scorer for Timra and it seems like he is finally ready to make the transition to the NHL. Dahlen, 23, has played parts of two seasons in the AHL, but always seemed to have one foot out the door given his preference to play in Sweden if he wasn’t in the NHL. Perhaps that has contributed to his NHL rights being traded twice already. However, the Sharks are in no position to turn away affordable forward talent and should be ready to give Dahlen a shot at a roster spot next season, if not sooner once his Allsvenskan season ends.
Senators Notes: Goaltending, North Dakota, Trade Deadline
Senators GM Pierre Dorion spoke on TSN 1200 in Ottawa this morning and addressed many of the most pressing issues facing his team down the stretch this season. And while that won’t include a playoff push, as the Senators hold the NHL’s second-worst record and are well outside of a playoff spot in the North Division, Dorion still stated that he would like to see more consistency out of his roster the rest of the way. The position of greatest concern right now is obviously goaltending. Ottawa is allowing 3.91 goals against per game this season, the worst mark in the league by a wide margin. The Senators’ depth in net appeared to be strong entering the season with newly-acquired starter Matt Murray at the top, promising backup Marcus Hogberg ready for a full-time NHL role, college standout Joey Daccord as next man up, and top prospects Filip Gustavsson and Kevin Mandolese to fall back on as well. Yet, Murray and Hogberg have struggled greatly and the Senators’ goaltending actually improved when the pair were lost to injury, making Daccord the starter by default. However, Daccord is now expected to miss the rest of the season due to an injury of his own. This prompted not only the waiver claim of Anton Forsberg, but also for the team to send a chartered private plane to Winnipeg to pick him up, so as to avoid any quarantine period. Forsberg, who amazingly has not played at any level this season despite being claimed on waivers three times, will start for AHL Belleville on Saturday and is then likely to dress as backup behind Gustavsson on Monday, according to The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch. Gustavsson, who made his NHL debut by providing a shutout third period in relief of Daccord on Wednesday, will make his first start on Monday and he and Forsberg appear likely to split starts until Murray and/or Hogberg are healthy enough to return to action. Dorion considers Murray “week-to-week” and hopes Hogberg will be ready for an AHL conditioning stint before the end of the month.
- Without anything to play for this season, the stretch run could actually be an exciting time for the Senators as they take a look at some other options in action before next season. That could very well include any number of current members of the University of North Dakota, once their NCAA season comes to an end. Ottawa has spent a number of high draft picks on Fighting Hawks commits in recent years and now the No. 1 team in college hockey is seeking a National Championship, fueled by Senators property. For now, Dorion says that he has informed North Dakota forward Shane Pinto and defensemen Jacob Bernard-Docker, Jake Sanderson, and Tyler Kleven to simply focus on their pursuit of a title and worry about their pro futures later. However, once the postseason has ended for North Dakota – as early as next weekend or as late as April 10 – Dorion could sign any of the group and insert them into the Senators lineup right away. He specifically called Pinto, Bernard-Docker, and Sanderson “close” in terms of their pro readiness. Bernard-Docker, a junior, and Pinto, a sophomore, are more likely to sign this year than Sanderson, a freshman, even though he was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. Beyond the North Dakota players that Ottawa already owns, their link to the program and the immediate opportunity available could give them a leg up in wooing a pair of the very best college free agents available. Seniors Matt Kiersted and Jordan Kawaguchi are certainly on the Senators’ radar and could be intrigued by joining the Ottawa rebuild. Dorion did not address the immediate pro future of North Dakota transfer Jonny Tychonick, another talented draft pick whose University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks are also hoping to make the NCAA Tournament.
- As for players that could be leaving the Senators before the end of the season, Dorion opined that this could be a very quiet trade deadline for his team, a sentiment that many other teams have echoed. In a buyer’s market that is influenced by difficult salary cap situations and border restrictions, there is a feeling that there might not be much action before the April 12 deadline. Dorion claims that teams are “checking in” but there apparently hasn’t been much traction on forming actual deals. The Senators are not in a great position to trade this season anyhow. Recently re-acquired winger Ryan Dzingel is their most valuable rental piece, but may not even be available if there is mutual interest in an extension. Dzingel has already re-discovered his scoring touch back in Ottawa, notching four goals in eight games. Expensive and unproductive veterans Artem Anisimov and Erik Gudbranson, depth defensemen Mike Reilly and Braydon Coburn, and grinders Matthew Peca and Micheal Haley are the only other expiring contracts the Senators have and lack much, if any value. It could be a quiet deadline indeed in Ottawa barring a surprise move.