Erik Karlsson Does Not Want To Be Part Of A “Rebuild” In San Jose
Star defenseman Erik Karlsson does not want to become mired in a rebuild with the San Jose Sharks, and who can blame him? Karlsson signed a long-term extension with the Sharks, who not only had gone to the Western Conference Final in his first season, but were considered one of the most consistent franchises in the NHL and even North American pro sports overall since the turn of the century. While Karlsson certainly didn’t take a discount to stay in San Jose, inking an eight-year, $92MM contract that made him the third-highest paid player in the league at the time, there was an expectation that his re-signing would put the Sharks over the top and keep them contenders for years to come. Yet, last season was an unmitigated disaster, as the team finished with the third-worst record in the league, and so far this year things aren’t looking much better. San Jose is again a bottom-ten team in the NHL and unlikely to make the playoffs. People are starting to get worried, and Karlsson is among them.
Speaking to the media, including San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng, Karlsson stated that “Obviously, I did not sign here to go through a rebuild. [To] go through what I did for 10 years in Ottawa.” However, he did continue on more of an optimistic note. “We need to find a way to build with the core that we have,” Karlsson opined, “I do think we have a good group of guys here.” Karlsson is by no means stating that he wants to be traded, now or in the event that the Sharks continue to struggle this season. Instead, he is seemingly making a public outcry to his own front office, after GM Doug Wilson referred to a “reset” earlier this week, that he feels San Jose has a strong enough core to build upon moving forward rather than tear down and start over.
Karlsson’s comments clearly come from a place of emotion during a difficult time for he and his teammates. Case in point: he vastly overexaggerated the state of the Senators franchise during the early part of his career. Ottawa made the playoffs five times in Karlsson’s nine (not ten) seasons with the team, even coming just one win away from a Stanley Cup Final berth in 2016-17. Only in Karlsson’s final season did they devolve into one of the league’s worst clubs and were truly in need of a rebuild. However, in the midst of his third losing season in the past four years, it seems the losses are starting to weigh on Karlsson and he doesn’t want the team to make matters worse by stripping away the core.
But is he correct that the Sharks can return to relevance as currently constituted? The team has plenty of talent on paper with a blue line of Karlsson, Brent Burns, and Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Logan Couture, Evander Kane, Timo Meier, and Tomas Hertl up front. There are also some nice young pieces on the roster like Mario Ferraro and John Leonard, and some intriguing names in the pipeline as well. Yet, it hasn’t shown in their results. Additionally, San Jose has a considerable amount of their cap space for years to come tied up in this core and what space they do have needs to primarily be used to rectify a dire situation in net. The Sharks may find it difficult to add impact players elsewhere on the roster in the meantime. Even if there is space, the team may hesitate to add more expensive pieces to their underperforming group. So, if the team is good enough to avoid a rebuild as Karlsson states, it starts with he and his teammates playing up to expectations and showing just that. Otherwise, the Sharks’ brass will have no choice but to shake things up.
Injury Notes: Bozak, Trocheck, Bruins, Kings
After a month-and-a-half on the sidelines, St. Louis Blues forward Tyler Bozak is finally making some progress toward a return. Speaking to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, head coach Craig Berube displayed optimism when discussing the health of his veteran center, who was back at practice on Friday. “He’s gonna get some work here in the next few days and he could be available soon,” Berube said. “It’s good to see him out there and working… making some real good progress.” Bozak has not played since January 26th, when he was forced out of game against the Vegas Golden Knights with an apparent concussion. With the Blue about to embark on a six-game road trip, they will have to decide if bringing Bozak is the right move or if he requires additional time before his return. While St. Louis also just got Vladimir Tarasenko back and Oskar Sundqvist returned from a short-term injury, they could still use all the help they can get. Colton Parayko, Jaden Schwartz, Ivan Barbashev, Robert Thomas, Jacob De La Rose, and more are still among the Blues’ injured.
- The news on Carolina Hurricanes forward Vincent Trocheck does not sound as optimistic. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour tells The Athletic’s Sara Civian that Trocheck’s recent upper-body injury will keep him sidelined for “longer than hoped”. The coach held back on providing any definitive timeline, but any long-term absence for Trocheck will be a major loss for the team. In his first full season with the Hurricanes, Trocheck has been a point-per-game player and is tied with Sebastian Aho for the team’s scoring lead. If there is one silver lining for Carolina, it is that the injury occurred before the trade deadline; with a considerable amount of cap space, the ‘Canes still have time to bring in help to make up for an extended period without Trocheck.
- Back on the positive side, the Boston Bruins have been dealing with an onslaught of injuries for some time, but there could be some help on the way. Head coach Bruce Cassidy announced today that veteran defenseman Kevan Miller has resumed skating and is likely to travel with the team on their upcoming road trip. Miller has been resting his surgically-repaired knee, but seems like he is ready to get back on the ice. Cassidy also said that defenseman Brandon Carlo is “coming around” and, while he is unsure if it will happen, there is at least some consideration that he could travel as well. This is the first concrete update on Carlo since he was hospitalized by a high hit from Washington’s Tom Wilson, but its seems that Carlo will not be out for a lengthy period as many feared.
- It’s a scary time for any unknown illness given the shadow of the Coronavirus, so the Los Angeles Kings played it safe and cancelled practice this morning, citing an “illness” spreading around the group. Head coach Todd McLellan and the Kings do not believe that this is COVID, but a seasonal virus. However, the team will wait to see what their latest batch of test results say. Defenseman Olli Maatta is currently on the league’s COVID Protocal Related Absences list, though Alex Iafallo missed the team’s last game with similar symptoms and did not test positive for COVID. Obviously, the hope of all involved is that this is what McLellan believe it to be: some unrelated bug going around the locker room.
Minor Transactions: 03/13/21
While things are largely quiet on the NHL transaction front, some familiar faces have recently signed deals elsewhere. Here is a rundown of those moves and other minor transaction news.
- Oscar Fantenberg used a good showing in the KHL back in 2016-17 to secure his first NHL contract and when he opted to return there this season, it certainly felt like he was trying to have history repeat itself by using a strong 2020-21 campaign to land another opportunity in North America. However, that won’t be the case as SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL announced that they’ve inked Fantenberg to a two-year extension, taking one depth defender off the UFA market early in the process. The 29-year-old had seven assists in 37 games this season.
- The Kings have inked winger Devante Smith-Pelly to a minor league PTO, per the AHL’s transactions log. The 28-year-old has played in 395 career NHL games over parts of eight seasons but hasn’t suited up at the top level since the 2018-19 campaign with Washington. Smith-Pelly spent last season in the KHL with Kunlun Red Star and has yet to play at all in 2020-21.
- The Sharks have recalled winger Ivan Chekhovich from his KHL loan and assigned him to AHL San Jose, CapFriendly reports. The 22-year-old was quite productive with Torpedo this season, notching 17 goals and 17 assists in 43 games but his team was swept in the opening round of the postseason. Now, Chekhovich will be able to get a couple more months of playing time in with the Barracuda, resulting in close to a full year worth of games in a season where very few NHL prospects have had that opportunity. He will have to serve a quarantine period before he can suit up, however.
- The Coyotes have reassigned goaltender David Tendeck from ECHL Rapid City to AHL Tucson, per the ECHL’s transaction log. The 21-year-old is in the first season of his entry-level deal and has played in 13 games with the Rush this season, posting a 2.74 GAA along with a .913 SV% and two shutouts.
- The Wild have signed center Bryce Misley to an AHL ATO, reports Michael Russo of The Athletic (Twitter link). The 21-year-old was a fourth-round pick of Minnesota back in 2017 and recently wrapped up his college career with Vermont, picking up a goal and two assists in 13 games this season. Minnesota has until August 15 to sign him to an entry-level deal or lose his rights.
Central Notes: Kucherov, Hurricanes, Hofmann, Panthers
While he was ruled out for the year before the regular season got underway, Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov has resumed skating and is on pace to return for the start of the playoffs, notes Joe Smith of the Athletic (Twitter link). The 27-year-old actually did some light work with Tampa Bay in practice although he’s still long way away from being ready to return.
The big question will be when he is indeed ready to play. The Lightning can’t afford to activate him off LTIR at all this season due to their salary cap situation but if he has started light skating drills already, it may also be difficult to argue that he’ll need two full months to recover and then immediately be ready for game one of the playoffs just days later. It’s certainly going to be something to keep an eye on although Tampa Bay is certainly thrilled that their top-scoring forward is doing well in his recovery from offseason surgery.
Elsewhere in the Central:
- The Hurricanes have a few areas that they’d like to improve between now and the trade deadline, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports in the latest 31 Thoughts podcast (audio link). In particular, a stay-at-home defenseman to offset some of their more offensive-minded options, a depth forward, and goaltending depth are the areas that Friedman highlighted although they may be hard-pressed to try to address all three of those.
- The Blue Jackets’ acquisition of Gregory Hofmann from Carolina last month came as a surprise considering the 28-year-old had two years left on his deal in Switzerland. However, EV Zug GM Reto Klay told Zentralplus’ Andreas Ineichen that Hofmann is expected to sign with Columbus as soon as later this season once the NLA playoffs are over. The winger has 17 goals and 21 assists in just 33 games this season and will not be subject to entry-level restrictions on his first NHL contract due to his age and could be an intriguing addition for the stretch run.
- The Panthers will have winger Anthony Duclair and defenseman Anton Stralman back in their lineup tonight against Chicago, relays George Richards of Florida Hockey Now (Twitter link). Duclair has done relatively well in his first season with Florida, picking up two goals and eight assists in 19 games and had missed the last six games with a lower-body injury. Meanwhile, Stralman, who had missed four straight with a lower-body issue of his own, sits third among Florida blueliners in ATOI at 20:09 per contest.
Trade Candidate: Brandon Montour
With the trade deadline quickly approaching, we begin our closer look at some of the players who have a good chance of being on the move between now and April 12th.
Just two years ago, it looked like Buffalo had brought in a core piece to their back end. Even though they were out of playoff contention, they shipped a late first-round pick and prospect Brendan Guhle to Anaheim to bring in Brandon Montour. Montour, then 24, was in the midst of a career season and while he was a bit of a late-bloomer, it looked as if the Sabres had a top-four defender in place for the foreseeable future.
Since then, things have spiralled in the wrong direction. Montour has gone from a potential core player to a non-tender candidate last offseason to one that doesn’t appear to have a future with Buffalo. He fit with the Ducks and clearly, under multiple coaches now since joining them, he doesn’t fit with the Sabres and as a result, is quite likely to be dealt having been made available for a couple of weeks already.
Contract
Montour is on a one-year, $3.85MM contract and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. His deal does not contain any trade protection.
2020-21
On the one hand, Montour – an offensive defenseman in Anaheim – has just one goal and four assists in 23 games this season. That’s not exactly high-level offensive production (or even average). He’s below the team average in possession stats and while this could be said about just about everyone in Buffalo’s back end this season, his play in his own zone has been spotty at times.
On the other hand, Montour is still a right-shot defender that averages more than 20 minutes a game and takes a regular turn on the penalty kill. This is not a commodity that is easy to get around the trade deadline. His offensive downturn can also in part be explained by the fact he does not see any regular time on the man advantage.
Is Montour a true top-four defender on a contender? Probably not but there will be teams viewing him as a third-pairing upgrade with the ability to move up in certain matchups or when injuries arise. Despite the negativity surrounding him – and there has been plenty of it – this is still a profile of a fairly useful player and he should be viewed as such around the league.
Season Stats
23 GP, 1 goal, 4 assists, 5 points, -11 rating, 14 PIMS, 41 shots, 20:54 TOI, 47.3 CF%
Potential Suitors
The majority of the league can’t afford to take on Montour’s salary outright and would require some sort of offset either by retention or taking another contract back (or even both). He’s hardly the only player who will be in this situation though.
Chicago is one of the teams that can afford him due to their huge LTIR pool and considering they’re seven points up on a playoff spot, adding to their group would certainly help. They’ve used several young defensemen this season with varying degrees of success but there’s a difference between finding playing time for someone in the regular season versus being in that spot in the playoffs. Montour would slide in onto their third pairing and give them some insurance while still being young enough where a good showing could put him in the mix to stick around as well.
Philadelphia hasn’t really replaced Matt Niskanen with their offseason signing of Erik Gustafsson not really covering that role. A cap offset would be needed but Montour would definitely boost their third pairing and he could conceivably fit in the top four given their shallower depth on the right side.
Winnipeg has a bit more right-side depth than Philadelphia but still has a void to fill defensively. They’re in a spot where their LTIR-created cap room is fixed (it doesn’t bank like regular cap space) so unlike teams that may want to wait until closer to the deadline for additional flexibility, the Jets could pull a deal quicker but would also need an offset of some sort. Calgary also has a need for a bottom-pairing upgrade but the offset would need to be significant given their lack of cap space; someone like Derek Ryan ($3.125MM, UFA) would likely need to be involved.
In the West, the Coyotes already have five pending UFAs on the roster but Montour would at least slide in ahead of a couple of them. They’re on the outside looking in at a playoff spot but only by a handful of points so if they hang around the race over the next few weeks, they could be an option and have the cap space. If they falter though, they’d be off the table.
Likelihood Of A Trade
In this financial environment, it’s hard to say anyone costing nearly $4MM has a high chance to be dealt due to cap and budgetary restrictions. But the odds of Montour being moved are still high. There are always teams looking for help on the back end and the Sabres have enough LTIR flexibility with Jake McCabe and Zemgus Girgensons out for the year to be creative in terms of retaining money and/or taking back expiring contracts. They’re not going to get back what they gave up but there should be enough of a market to net GM Kevyn Adams a decent pick or prospect as the rebuilding continues in Buffalo.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Penguins Notes: Zucker, Trade Deadline, Extension Talks, Undrafted Free Agents
While the Penguins will be without Jason Zucker for a while yet with his lower-body injury, GM Ron Hextall expressed some optimism that he will be able to return before the end of the regular season in an interview with Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. It has been a tough first ‘full’ season with Pittsburgh for the 29-year-old as he has just four goals and three assists in 17 games but he’d undoubtedly give them a lift for the stretch run if he’s able to return.
Of course, there are some salary cap considerations at play. Zucker is currently on LTIR resulting in some extra flexibility (up to his $5.5MM AAV) for the Penguins heading into the deadline. However, with the belief that he’ll be able to return, Pittsburgh can’t really use that money to add an impact piece as they’d need to get back into cap compliance before they can activate him. Accordingly, their potential for spending will be limited.
While the full interview is definitely worth a read, here are a few other highlights from Hextall’s discussion with Rorabaugh:
- If the new GM had his way, he’d be able to add some grit to the roster before the trade deadline, calling it something on his wish list. Given that the Pens are likely to be shopping for lower-priced players due to Zucker’s possible return, it’s an area that they could address, albeit on a more limited scale such as the fourth line.
- Long-time veterans Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin are eligible to sign contract extensions this summer but Hextall didn’t seem to be too much of a rush to get the ball rolling on that, saying he’d get to those when the time is right. Deals can’t be signed until the official start of the 2021-22 calendar but as we’ve often seen in recent years, frameworks for those deals have been hammered out before that time.
- Hextall also acknowledged that there are some players on both the college and European free agent markets that are of interest to the team. College free agency should really start to pick up over the coming weeks while the international market is another couple of months away from really getting going.
Taxi Squad Shuffle: 03/13/21
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:
North Division
- The Maple Leafs announced (Twitter link) that they have recalled Scott Sabourin to the taxi squad. The winger was recently converted to an NHL two-way deal and made his season debut in the minors last night. It was a short-lived one, however, as he was ejected in the first shift of the game after instigating a fight following a goalie interference penalty.
- The Senators announced (Twitter link) that they’ve assigned Clark Bishop back to their taxi squad. Bishop made his Ottawa debut last night against Edmonton, picking up a pair of shots on goal in just under nine minutes of work.
- The Calgary Flames have announced a one-for-one swap, recalling defenseman Oliver Kylington from the taxi squad and replacing him with the demotion of forward Zac Rinaldo. Kylington is expected to draw into the lineup tonight for the Flames.
East Division
- The Bruins have recalled Anton Blidh, Greg McKegg, and Jeremy Swayman to the taxi squad, per the AHL’s Transactions log. Blidh and McKegg were sent down just yesterday to get a game in with Providence while Swayman is needed with starting goalie Tuukka Rask batting a minor injury. Urho Vaakanainen, Jack Studnicka, and Steven Kampfer were also recalled from the taxi squad, per CBS’ transactions log.
- The Flyers announced (Twitter link) that they’ve brought up defenseman Nate Prosser and winger Andy Andreoff from the taxi squad. Prosser has a goal in two games so far this season while Andreoff has yet to record a point in his four contests.
- The Rangers recalled Keith Kinkaid, Kaapo Kakko, and K’Andre Miller from the taxi squad, per CBS’ transactions log. The three have frequently been shuffled back and forth in an effort to free up extra salary cap space.
- The Sabres announced (via Twitter) that they have recalled Brandon Davidson from the taxi squad while assigning Henri Jokiharju down to the taxi squad. Davidson has played in four games with Buffalo so far this season, logging nearly 15 minutes a night of ice time.
- The Penguins announced that they’ve assigned defenseman Josh Maniscalco to the taxi squad. The 22-year-old signed as an undrafted free agent last year and has played in two games with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season.
Central Division
- The Stars announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled Rhett Gardner and Joel L’Esperance from the taxi squad while sending Ty Dellandrea to the taxi squad. Gardner and L’Esperance have been held off the scoresheet in four games each this season while Dellandrea has a goal and two assists in 15 contests.
- The Panthers announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled Riley Stillman from the taxi squad. The 23-year-old played in 34 games for Florida last season but has only gotten into one NHL game so far this season.
West Division
- Jamie Drysdale‘s time on Anaheim’s taxi squad has ended again without the blueliner getting into his first NHL game as the Ducks have sent him back to AHL San Diego, per the AHL’s transactions log. The 18-year-old defenseman has played quite well in his first taste of the pros, picking up nine points in a dozen games with the Gulls this season as he waits to see if the OHL will get up and running this season. Goaltender Olle Eriksson Ek was also recalled to the taxi squad.
- The Sharks have flipped taxi squad goaltenders as Alexei Melnichuk has been recalled from AHL San Jose while Josef Korenar has been sent from the taxi squad to the Barracuda, per the AHL’s transactions log. Melnichuk played in five games while on this particular assignment, allowing 16 goals on 119 shots.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
East Notes: Lundqvist, Ovechkin, Cozens, Senyshyn
When Henrik Lundqvist was told he required open-heart surgery late last year, he was understandably ruled out for the season. Last month, he resumed on-ice activities and thoughts of a possible return started to trickle in. Speaking with reporters yesterday including Samantha Pell of the Washington Post, Capitals GM Brian MacLellan acknowledged that he couldn’t rule out the possibility that the 39-year-old coming back though he qualified his statement by noting that Lundqvist playing remains “highly unlikely”.
With the Capitals using youngsters Vitek Vanecek and Ilya Samsonov this season, the idea of adding a veteran third goalie (even with Craig Anderson on the taxi squad) has come up. While Lundqvist is still months away from making a decision about whether or not he could return, it’s now an option that can’t be ruled out entirely. Even at that, that’s great news for him and just possibly for Washington eventually as well.
More from the East Division:
- Also from Pell’s piece, MacLellan didn’t provide much of an update on the status of extension talks for captain Alex Ovechkin. He did express optimism that a deal will eventually get done with both sides needing to find the “sweet spot” that they can agree on. Ovechkin is off to a bit of a slower start by his standards with nine goals in 22 games although he’s only one off the Capitals lead in that department.
- Sabres forward Dylan Cozens is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, relays Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald. The rookie is being evaluated to determine the severity of the issue, one that occurred early in the third period on Thursday against Pittsburgh. The 20-year-old has just five points in 20 games this season as he adapts to NHL action but had been subbing as the top center for Jack Eichel the last couple of games.
- Zach Senyshyn’s season debut with the Bruins on Thursday will be his last NHL contest for a bit. Boston Hockey Now’s Joe Haggerty notes that the winger suffered an upper-body injury in that game with head coach Bruce Cassidy stating that “he’s going to miss some time”. The 23-year-old was a first-round pick in 2015 but has been limited to just seven games at the top level so far.
Jack Eichel Dealing With Upper-Body Injury
Saturday: While head coach Ralph Krueger was unable to disclose a timeline, he did tell reporters including John Vogl of The Athletic that Eichel is out “for the foreseeable future” and that he is unable to put a date on how long he will be out. Krueger also declined to specify if his top center needs surgery or just rest.
Tuesday: The Buffalo Sabres don’t need any more bad news, but they got some anyway. Jack Eichel will miss tonight’s game with an upper-body injury and Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet tweets that there are “rumblings” that he could be out for longer. Eichel was seen grabbing his neck over the weekend after being pushed into the boards behind the New York Islanders net, though it is not clear if that is the injury he is currently dealing with.
At Sabres practice, Dylan Cozens has moved into the first-line center role between Taylor Hall and Sam Reinhart according to Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. While that is certainly exciting for the young forward and his fans, losing Eichel for any significant length of time would all but guarantee that the Sabres season is over. The team is already sitting in last place in the NHL with just six wins in 23 games.
This has been a season to forget for Eichel personally too, even though he does have 18 points in 21 games. Only two of those are goals, one of which was a powerplay marker. That means the $10MM center has exactly one even-strength goal on the year, a huge reason why the team is struggling so much. Even Eichel’s ice time has come down this season, which has had some speculating over whether he was already playing hurt.
It’s injury to insult now the Sabres these days, who can’t seem to find a silver lining in anything that happens. The team takes on the Philadelphia Flyers this evening.
Trade Deadline Primer: Colorado Avalanche
Although we’re now just two months into the season, the trade deadline is only 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 Colorado Avalanche.
It has been a trying year for Colorado so far, one that saw them head into the season as a perceived Stanley Cup contender. They’ve been hit hard by injuries as well as a COVID-19 outbreak and the end result has them in fourth in the West Division although they’re still within striking distance of first-place Vegas. With some big-ticket raises on the horizon and several pending free agents of note, this could be their best shot to truly contend. Accordingly, expect GM Joe Sakic to be active in terms of trying to add to the roster over the coming weeks.
Record
14-8-2, 4th in West Division
Deadline Status
Buyer
Deadline Cap Space
$582Kin full-season space ($1.299MM at the trade deadline), $7.4175MM in LTIR room*, 1/3 retention slots used, 43/50 contracts used per CapFriendly.
* – The majority of this space comes from Erik Johnson ($6MM). He was transferred to LTIR this week but if Colorado believes that he will return this season, they won’t be able to use this room at the trade deadline.
Upcoming Draft Picks
2021: COL 1st, COL 3rd, COL 5th, COL 6th, COL 7th
2022: COL 1st, COL 3rd, COL 4th, COL 5th, COL 6th, COL 7th
Trade Chips
Last offseason, Tyson Jost wound up accepting his qualifying offer worth just over $874K, a deal that basically took advantage of him having minimal leverage coming off of a tough season without arbitration eligibility. It felt like a make-or-break year as a result. Unfortunately for both him and the Avs, this season has leaned towards the latter for the 2016 tenth-overall selection. Jost has just a goal and two assists in 22 games despite averaging nearly 14 minutes per night. It’s just not working for him right now. As a result, this feels like a prime change of scenery situation. He’s still just 22 which should be appealing to a selling team as adding him would give them a look to see if a new situation can help unlock some potential. If it doesn’t happen, he’s still a cost-effective player for the rest of the year.
In 2019, Colorado signed Joonas Donskoi to a four-year deal with a $3.9MM AAV, a contract that raised eyebrows given his limited track record. He isn’t a top-six player and that price tag is high for a third liner. By no means is Donskoi necessarily playing poorly but staring down new contracts for Gabriel Landeskog (UFA) and Cale Makar (RFA) among others, this is an above-market deal that will hinder them this summer. Of course, the two years remaining will make it challenging to move but knowing what’s coming, Sakic should be sufficiently motivated to find a way to move him. J.T. Compher (two years remaining, $3.5MM AAV) could fall in this particular cap-clearing category.
Greg Pateryn has already cleared waivers and been traded this season while spending more time in the AHL than the AHL. He also has a $2.25MM AAV. Normally, this wouldn’t be someone to list as a trade chip but the 30-year-old would appear to be a strong candidate to move if Colorado needs to offset some money in an acquisition. Pateryn is an unrestricted free agent so there wouldn’t be any long-term ramifications for whoever was to take him on.
Others to Watch For: Pierre-Edouard Bellemare ($1.8MM, UFA)
Team Needs
1) Backup goaltender – Pavel Francouz has yet to play this season due to a lower-body injury and there is no timeframe for his return; he’s the other player joining Johnson on LTIR. That has forced Philipp Grubauer to take on the bulk of the workload with the relatively untested Hunter Miska serving as the backup. Grubauer isn’t accustomed to playing this much and as last postseason showed, injuries can happen. A more proven NHL netminder would go a long way but even if they don’t aim that high, a player to fill the role Michael Hutchinson did last season could also be useful with their current minor league options not yet NHL ready.
2) Defensive depth – The state of Colorado’s back end isn’t the greatest right now but to be fair, they’re missing four players right now. Not many teams can comfortably withstand that but as a result, the Avalanche have been icing several minor leaguers. Considering they’re only in fourth in the division, it’s a group that can’t afford to take another hit and could stand to be bolstered.
3) Scoring help – Part of this is due to all of the injuries but the Avs somewhat surprisingly have had trouble scoring this season, sitting 21st in the league heading into play on Friday night. Mikko Rantanen is their only double-digit goal scorer and only five players have more than five. A middle-six winger with some offensive ability would help lengthen the lineup and give the top unit some extra support which would go a long way in the postseason.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.