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Archives for February 2022

Trade Candidate: Ben Chiarot

February 19, 2022 at 2:58 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 22 Comments

With the trade deadline just over a month away, it’s time to look at some of the players who have a good chance of being on the move between now and March 21st.

A few years ago, Ben Chiarot was playing a limited role on Winnipeg’s back end and the three-year, $10.5MM contract he signed with Montreal back in 2019 raised some eyebrows for being what appeared to be a pretty generous payment.  However, the 30-year-old has become a fixture in the top four for the Canadiens and after a strong showing in the playoffs last year, Montreal has set a high price tag for the pending UFA with several teams already expressing interest.

Contract

Chiarot is in the final season of his deal that carries a $3.5MM AAV.  The contract also contains a 10-team no-trade clause.

2021-22

As has been the case for pretty much everyone in Montreal this season, things have not gone well for Chiarot.  His primary partner from last season was Shea Weber who hasn’t played at all this year and likely won’t again.  Former GM Marc Bergevin tried to recreate a similar pairing by adding David Savard but that duo didn’t work well when they were together while Jeff Petry – who has been moved into the number one role – has also struggled.

The end result is that Chiarot has struggled considerably.  He has been asked to play a bigger role than he should be, including taking a regular turn on the power play for extended stretches.  His offensive numbers are close to his recent output but he hasn’t fared well being the focal part of their defensive plan and the advanced stats aren’t any better when it comes to scoring chances and shots allowed.

That makes his case a particularly interesting one.  How much stock will teams be willing to put into his performance over his first two seasons with Montreal and their playoff runs (spanning 32 games) compared to his level of play this season?  The player he was during the first two years is worth a lot more than the player he has been in 2021-22.

Season Stats

44 GP, 5 goals, 4 assists, 9 points, -27 rating, 36 PIMS, 82 shots, 23:17 TOI, 45.8 CF%

Potential Suitors

No playoff-bound team will be looking at Chiarot to play the role he has been with Montreal.  As a fourth option that can kill penalties though, he’d represent an upgrade for several teams while deepening their depth.

In the East, the Panthers, Hurricanes, Rangers, Maple Leafs, and Bruins have all been linked to Chiarot already.  Carolina’s top four on the back end is set and someone like Chiarot would really improve their depth and take off some pressure from that top group.  Even with 50% retention though, making the money work would be tight.  The left side of Florida’s back end is their weaker side and for now, they have close to enough cap room to bring him in through LTIR although it should be noted that Markus Nutivaara hasn’t been ruled out for the season yet.

The Rangers have more than enough cap space and Jeff Gorton and former European scouting director Nick Bobrov now with Montreal, they’re going to be speculatively linked to the Canadiens on multiple trade fronts.  Toronto has made it known they’d like to add to their back end although GM Kyle Dubas’ stated preference is to add someone signed beyond this season.  If they were to send one of Travis Dermott or Justin Holl back to Montreal in a deal that also featured 50% retention on Chiarot, the move could be close to cap-neutral as well.  Boston and Montreal don’t trade with each other very often and they’re more of a curious fit as Matt Grzelcyk, Derek Forbort, and Mike Reilly already comprise their left side.  While Chiarot can play on the right, only the third pairing needs to be shored up there so he may not be the best target for them.

Out West, the Blues, Kings, and Flames have been identified as known suitors.  St. Louis has a definite need to upgrade the left side of their back end and Chiarot fits the style that head coach Craig Berube would like but they’re basically in a spot where they have to match money which would make things more challenging as they ideally wouldn’t want to subtract from their roster.  Los Angeles continues to hang around the playoff mix and certainly have a hole to try to fill on the left side of their back end.  While it’s possible that Alexander Edler could return this year which would complicate things from a cap perspective, the Kings could ask to include Olli Maatta’s expiring contract which is almost the same price tag as Chiarot’s to offset that risk.

Calgary was involved in talks for Chiarot as part of the Tyler Toffoli trade earlier this week.  While such a move would be harder now from a cap perspective, they also have a salary offset in Nikita Zadorov’s expiring deal that could help on that front.  While Nashville hasn’t been directly linked to Chiarot, they’re a team that he would fit on but the question is how much they will be willing to spend on a rental player in a season that had been deemed as a bit of a reset coming into the year.

Likelihood Of A Trade

GM Kent Hughes met with the media earlier this week and all but guaranteed that Chiarot will be on the move as soon as someone is willing to meet the asking price.  Reports have suggested that the Canadiens are looking at what Columbus got for Savard last season (a first-round pick along with a third-rounder) as the benchmark for a move and they are willing to retain the maximum 50% for it to happen.  Barring another injury, it’d be very surprising to see the veteran in a Montreal uniform after the deadline.

Montreal Canadiens| Trade Candidate Profiles 2022 Ben Chiarot| Pro Hockey Rumors Originals

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Lightning Claim Gemel Smith Off Waivers

February 19, 2022 at 1:05 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 1 Comment

Gemel Smith is heading back to Tampa Bay as TSN’s Chris Johnston reports (Twitter link) that the Lightning have claimed the forward off waivers from Detroit.

Smith started the season with the Lightning, spending a little more than three months on season-opening injured reserve.  Once he was cleared to play in mid-January, he was claimed by Detroit and subsequently sent on a three-game AHL conditioning stint.  Since returning from that nearly a month ago, the 27-year-old had hardly played, getting into just three games with the Red Wings where he had an assist while averaging less than seven minutes a game.  With Detroit having some players getting closer to returning from injury, they opted to waive Smith to get some roster flexibility.

As Tampa Bay was the only team to place a claim on Smith, they were able to send him down to AHL Syracuse and have quickly made that move.  Smith was quite productive with the Crunch back in 2019-20 with 40 points in 50 games and having played just 14 times between last season and this season combined, he should certainly benefit from some consistent playing time.  He’s in the first season of a two-year, two-way deal worth the league minimum of $750K at the NHL level.

Detroit Red Wings| Tampa Bay Lightning| Transactions| Waivers Gemel Smith

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Rask, Bunnaman Clear Waivers

February 19, 2022 at 1:00 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

Saturday: While Smith was claimed by Tampa Bay, Johnston reports that Rask and Bunnaman both cleared waivers.

Friday: The waiver wire is busy today as three teams have exposed players to the rest of the league. Chris Johnston of TSN reports that Gemel Smith of the Detroit Red Wings, Victor Rask of the Minnesota Wild, and Connor Bunnaman of the Philadelphia Flyers have all been placed on waivers.

Smith is on waivers for the second time this season after being claimed by the Red Wings from the Tampa Bay Lightning last month. He ended up playing three games for the club and registered one assist, while playing three more for the Grand Rapids Griffins on a conditioning loan. While he’s now available to the rest of the league once again, the 27-year-old did finally get a chance to play with his brother Giavani Smith for the first time in their hockey careers. Signed for two years and carrying a $750K cap hit, it seems unlikely that anyone other than the Lightning would put in a claim. If they do and are the only team to do so, he could be assigned to the minor leagues.

Bunnaman also was on waivers earlier, clearing just before the season started. He’s been up and down (and up and down) since, but now with 15 games under his belt this season needed waivers again in order to be assigned to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The 23-year-old forward doesn’t have a single point in those 15 contests and now sits at just three points in 54 career games (plus four scoreless postseason appearances). Also signed through 2022-23 with a $750K cap hit, he too seems like an unlikely candidate for claim.

Then there is Rask, who will certainly generate most of the headlines among this trio. The 28-year-old center is in the final season of a six-year, $24MM contract he signed in 2016 with the Carolina Hurricanes and already cleared waivers in January. There isn’t any team in the league who will touch that contract, given how poorly Rask’s time in Minnesota has gone. Acquired in 2019 in a one-for-one deal that saw Nino Niederreiter go the other way, Rask has recorded 22 goals and 52 points in 149 games with the Wild. His ice time has continued to drop, to the point where even when he does get into the lineup it’s for just a handful of shifts. In each of his last five appearances, he’s logged fewer than 10 minutes.

Notably, even when the Wild assign him to the minor leagues they will receive just $1.125MM of cap relief. What they do gain is a roster spot, one that perhaps could go to a prospect like Marco Rossi, who continues to light up the AHL. Rossi has points in all but eight of his 35 games with the Iowa Wild this season, including six in his past four outings.

Detroit Red Wings| Minnesota Wild| Philadelphia Flyers| Waivers Gemel Smith| Victor Rask

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Canadiens Place Corey Schueneman In COVID Protocol

February 19, 2022 at 12:47 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

Most of the Canadiens went through COVID protocol in late December when the team was at one point down more than 20 players.  However, a handful of them didn’t contract the virus at that time and one of the ones who didn’t – defenseman Corey Schueneman, has been placed in COVID protocol, per a team announcement (Twitter link).

The 26-year-old was recently recalled to Montreal to take the place of injured defenseman Ben Chiarot and played a career-high 21:24 in Thursday’s victory over St. Louis while being one of two defenders to see time in overtime.  Schueneman was likely set to be the one going back down to the minors with Chiarot expected to return on Sunday and this placement will create the roster spot needed to bring the veteran off injured reserve.

Worth noting is that just before being recalled to the Canadiens, Montreal’s AHL affiliate in Laval had a COVID outbreak of their own that has resulted in seven players being added to protocol.  Schueneman will have to miss at least the next five days as a result of the placement, one that could be longer if he’s symptomatic.

COVID Protocol Related Absence| Montreal Canadiens Corey Schueneman

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Injury Updates: Islanders, Canadiens, Tarasenko

February 19, 2022 at 11:53 am CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

The Islanders will be without winger Oliver Wahlstrom for tomorrow’s game against Montreal due to an upper-body injury, relays Newsday’s Andrew Gross (Twitter link).  He was injured in Thursday’s victory over Boston and is listed as day-to-day.  The good news for New York is that they’re expected to welcome winger Josh Bailey back after he missed Thursday’s contest.  Meanwhile, Semyon Varlamov has returned to New York after testing positive for COVID while in Western Canada.  He remains unavailable for the time being.

Other injury news from around the NHL:

  • The Canadiens are expected to have defenseman Ben Chiarot back in the lineup tomorrow, notes TSN’s John Lu (Twitter link). The blueliner was injured last weekend against Columbus and while it was a minor injury, they needed to move him to IR to free up a roster spot to bring up a replacement for him.  Chiarot is widely expected to be traded by the deadline but it appears Montreal isn’t ready to hold him out of action as a precautionary measure just yet.
  • Still with Montreal, the Canadiens announced (Twitter link) that Joel Armia is listed as day-to-day and will not play tomorrow afternoon. He took a skate blade to the face late in Thursday’s victory over St. Louis.  It has been a tough season for the 28-year-old as he has scored just twice in 37 games in the first season of a new four-year, $13.6MM contract.
  • The Blues announced that winger Vladimir Tarasenko will not play tonight in Toronto due to an undisclosed injury suffered in Thursday’s game against Montreal. The nature of the injury was not disclosed but head coach Craig Berube listed the veteran as day-to-day.  Tarasenko has had a nice bounce-back season and leads St. Louis in scoring with 45 points in 44 games.  Tyler Bozak will take Tarasenko’s place in the lineup.

Injury| Montreal Canadiens| New York Islanders| St. Louis Blues Ben Chiarot| Joel Armia| Josh Bailey| Oliver Wahlstrom| Semyon Varlamov| Vladimir Tarasenko

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AHL Shuffle: 02/19/22

February 19, 2022 at 10:39 am CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

It’s a quieter Saturday than usual around the NHL but there are still 14 teams in action today so there should be lots of roster movement throughout the day.  We’ll keep track of those here.

Atlantic Division

  • The Maple Leafs have recalled defenseman Timothy Liljegren from AHL Toronto, notes TSN’s Mark Masters (Twitter link). The blueliner was sent down for salary cap reasons after Adam Brooks was claimed earlier in the week but with him now off to Winnipeg, they could afford to bring Liljegren back up.

Metropolitan Division

  • The Devils have once again flipped backup goalies as they’ve recalled Nico Daws from AHL Utica and sent Akira Schmid down, per the AHL’s transactions log. The opposite move was made on Thursday which allowed Daws to get into a game with the Comets to stay in game shape where he made 26 saves on 28 shots against Rochester.
  • The Blue Jackets announced that they have sent winger Trey Fix-Wolansky to Cleveland of the AHL to create a roster spot to activate winger Justin Danforth off IR.  Fix-Wolansky had a goal and an assist in his first five games of NHL action despite averaging less than seven minutes a game.  Danforth, meanwhile, had missed the last 19 games with a sprained MCL and has two goals and two assists in 13 games this season.
  • After clearing waivers, the Flyers announced (Twitter link) that forward Connor Bunnaman has been assigned to Lehigh Valley of the AHL.  The 23-year-old has been held off the scoresheet in 15 NHL appearances this season while chipping in with 17 hits.

Central Division

  • The Blackhawks have sent winger Brett Connolly back to AHL Rockford, reports Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link). The veteran has been shuffled back and forth between the NHL and the minors this season and has just one assist in nine games with Chicago.
  • The Blues announced that they’ve recalled defenseman Calle Rosen from AHL Springfield while sending center Dakota Joshua down. Rosen has played in six games with St. Louis this season but has spent most of the year with the Thunderbirds, collecting 20 points.  As for Joshua, he has five assists in 22 games this season but needed to be sent down to keep the Blues cap-compliant.
  • The Predators have returned winger Cole Smith to Milwaukee, per the AHL’s transactions log. He got into a pair of games with Nashville on his emergency recall, bringing his total this season to eight although he has yet to record a point.  He has been much more productive with the Admirals, however, with 22 points in 33 games.
  • After Victor Rask cleared waivers, the Wild wasted little time sending him down along with defenseman Dakota Mermis to Iowa, per a team release.  Blueliner Calen Addison was recalled in a corresponding move.  Rask has 13 points in 29 games with Minnesota this season but his $4MM cap hit made it a guarantee he wouldn’t be claimed.  Addison has 17 points in 23 games with Iowa while collecting three in nine NHL contests while Mermis has played just twice with Minnesota this season and has suited up in 30 minor league contests.

Pacific Division

  • The Oilers announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled winger Colton Sceviour from Bakersfield of the AHL.  The veteran had actually been handed a two-game suspension for a hit on Canucks prospect Jack Rathbone earlier this week but has yet to serve either of those games.  Sceviour has two goals and three assists in 30 games with Edmonton this season plus a pair of helpers in four AHL contests.

This post will be updated throughout the day.

AHL| Chicago Blackhawks| Columbus Blue Jackets| Edmonton Oilers| Minnesota Wild| Nashville Predators| New Jersey Devils| Philadelphia Flyers| St. Louis Blues| Toronto Maple Leafs| Transactions

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Atlantic Notes: Namestnikov, Murray, Ovchinnikov

February 19, 2022 at 9:35 am CDT | by Brian La Rose 1 Comment

The Red Wings should have winger Vladislav Namestnikov back in the lineup on Wednesday, reports Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press.  If that’s the case, the veteran will only wind up missing a week with his current lower-body injury.  Namestnikov has 13 goals and 10 assists in 49 games this season and is a candidate to be moved between now and next month’s trade deadline.  The quick return also played a role in yesterday’s waiving of Gemel Smith as head coach Jeff Blashill acknowledged that the move was made to give them some extra flexibility with Namestnikov nearing a return as well as winger Carter Rowney.

More from the Atlantic:

  • The Senators aren’t expected to have goaltender Matt Murray available this weekend, notes Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. He was injured late in Tuesday’s game against St. Louis and while the injury isn’t believed to be serious, it should keep him out for a few more days at least.  Murray has quietly played a lot better lately, posting a 2.38 GAA with a .938 SV% in his last 11 games.
  • While the Maple Leafs signed prospect forward Dmitri Ovchinnikov yesterday, his time playing in Russia isn’t up just yet. His agent Shumi Babaev told Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun (Twitter link) that while the 19-year-old’s deal with Sibir Novosibirsk was terminated which permits him to join the AHL Marlies this season, Ovchinnikov will be loaned back to Sibir for 2022-23.  While Ovchinnikov struggled to produce in the KHL this season with three points in 17 games, he was much more productive at the MHL level with 29 points in 22 contests.

Detroit Red Wings| Ottawa Senators| Toronto Maple Leafs Matt Murray (b. 1994)| Vladislav Namestnikov

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East Notes: Staal, Ristolainen, Trocheck

February 18, 2022 at 9:02 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 2 Comments

Marc Staal’s first season with the Red Wings was good enough that the team re-signed him to a one-year, $2MM contract for this one, a deal that also carried a full no-move clause.  Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News feels there’s a scenario where Detroit could go that route again with the 35-year-old blueliner.  Staal is logging just shy of 17 minutes a night on their back end and can still contribute defensively and on the penalty kill, making him a useful veteran for a team that’s still rebuilding.  Staal recently said that he enjoys being with Detroit and considering he controls his destiny when it comes to a trade, there’s a chance that he isn’t flipped by the trade deadline.

Elsewhere in the East:

  • Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen is targeting Monday as his return from his upper-body injury, notes Giana Han of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). The veteran has had a tough first season with Philadelphia with just 11 points in 42 games while logging just over 21 minutes a game.  Nevertheless, he remains one of the more notable pending unrestricted free agent blueliners that should be on the move between now and the March 21st trade deadline as the Flyers will likely want to recoup at least some of what they paid to get him at the draft (blueliner Robert Hagg, a 2021 first-round pick, and a 2023 second-rounder) if they can’t extend him before then.
  • Hurricanes center Vincent Trocheck left tonight’s game against Nashville with an upper-body injury (Twitter link). The pending UFA has had a nice contract year with 32 points in 48 games while winning over 53% of his faceoffs.

Carolina Hurricanes| Detroit Red Wings| Philadelphia Flyers Marc Staal| Rasmus Ristolainen| Vincent Trocheck

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Trade Deadline Primer: Columbus Blue Jackets

February 18, 2022 at 7:58 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 1 Comment

With the All-Star break now behind us, the trade deadline looms large and is just over 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 Columbus Blue Jackets.

After missing the playoffs last season and moving out veterans Seth Jones and Cam Atkinson over the summer, it was obvious that Columbus was going in the direction of a rebuild.  However, they’ve played better than many expected and have a points percentage over .500 and are the first team outside of a Wild Card spot as they sit nine points behind Boston heading into Friday’s action.  Even with that in mind, it seems unlikely that GM Jarmo Kekalainen would part with future assets in an attempt to sneak into the final playoff spot but the season they’re having suggests they’re closer to battling for a consistent playoff position than it seemed back in October.

Record

24-23-1, 5th in the Metropolitan

Deadline Status

Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$29.248MM today, $51.915MM on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 40/50 contracts used per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2022: CHI 1st*, CBJ 1st, CBJ 2nd, TB 3rd, CBJ 4th, TOR 4th, TOR 6th, ANA 7th
2023: CBJ 1st, CBJ 2nd, CBJ 3rd, CBJ 4th, CBJ 5th, CBJ 6th, CBJ 7th

*-Chicago’s pick is top-two protected.  If the Blackhawks wind up with the first or second selection in 2022, the pick will be conveyed unprotected in 2023.

Trade Chips

After a tough first year in Columbus, Max Domi was viewed as someone who would likely be moved at some point.  Seattle decided to pass on him in expansion and in the end, that has worked out quite well for the Blue Jackets.  The 26-year-old has rebounded nicely, notching 23 points in 38 games this season, providing them with some capable secondary scoring.  He’s a pending unrestricted free agent with a $5.3MM AAV, a price tag they’ll almost certainly need to pay down to maximize their return but Domi would fit in on a few playoff-bound squads as a third liner that can move up if needed and also can play on the wing and down the middle.  He won’t be the primary target for teams in the coming weeks but as the top options get moved, interest in him should pick up.

Joonas Korpisalo has had some good seasons in his seven-year NHL career but he started to struggle last season and unfortunately for them, it has carried over this year with the highest GAA of his career (3.82) and the lowest save percentage (.887).  Those aren’t ideal numbers to have in the season before your first crack at unrestricted free agency as at this point, it seems unlikely he’ll surpass his current $2.8MM AAV.  Despite his struggles, his track record is good enough for teams looking to add some goaltending depth for the stretch run but earlier reports had the Blue Jackets seeking multiple fairly high draft picks.  That price will need to come down over the next few weeks.

While I have doubts Patrik Laine will be moved, his situation will be one to monitor.  He’s having a nice season when he has been healthy and is averaging over a point per game.  But he’s about to enter his final season of RFA eligibility and if he simply takes his $7.5MM qualifying offer again, he could hit the open market in July 2023.  If the team senses Laine isn’t willing to sign a long-term deal, his name is bound to come up in trade speculation again.  That’s a big price tag for any contender to add which is why I think such a move – if it was to happen – would make more sense in the summer.  However, as the deadline gets closer, his name is bound to come up in the rumor mill.

Other Potential Trade Chips: D Scott Harrington ($1.633MM, UFA), D Dean Kukan ($1.65MM, UFA), F Kevin Stenlund ($1.05MM, RFA)

Team Needs

1) Defensive Depth: Columbus only has two defensemen on their NHL roster that are signed beyond the end of next season in Zach Werenski and Jake Bean.  Players like Adam Boqvist and Andrew Peeke should be part of the longer-term picture but the depth starts to thin out after that.  Another young core blueliner would be nice but even a capable short-term veteran will be needed at some point with Kukan and Harrington set to leave at the end of the season.

2) Draft Picks: Even though Columbus had three first-round picks last year, their prospect pool isn’t the deepest as the Blue Jackets had just eight selections in the previous two years combined, a ripple effect of the Blue Jackets making their push two seasons ago.  Simply restocking the pipeline is something they need to do.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Columbus Blue Jackets| Deadline Primer 2022 Pro Hockey Rumors Originals

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West Notes: Fleury, Pavelski, Hayton

February 18, 2022 at 6:55 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

While Blackhawks goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is unsure if he’ll be staying in Chicago past next month’s trade deadline, it seems like he’s making plans for next season.  The veteran told reporters, including NHL.com’s Tracey Myers, that while his playing days are coming to a close, he’s hoping to play a 19th season in the NHL:

I don’t have that much left, right? So enjoy this season and hopefully next season again. After that, I don’t know.

Fleury is a pending unrestricted free agent and carries a pricey $7MM AAV but there has been some speculation of some contending teams being interested.  While he doesn’t carry full trade protection, the Blackhawks have assured him that he will have a say on where he goes, if he winds up being moved. Fleury mentioned that while he has yet to speak to management about the possibility of a trade, he believes his agent Allan Walsh has been in touch with the team about that.

More from the Western Conference:

  • While the Stars appear to be likely to part ways with pending UFA defenseman John Klingberg, they’re hoping to avoid a similar fate with center Joe Pavelski as Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News notes that Dallas is hoping to re-sign the 37-year-old. The veteran has a $7MM AAV and is on pace for a career high in points as he has 52 in just 47 games so far.  There’s a strong case to be made that he’s worthy of a raise but the length of his next contract will be a big factor.  If he was to go year-to-year, Pavelski could theoretically maximize his earnings but at this stage of his career, a multi-season commitment would certainly be appealing.  With the Stars looking to keep the veteran, that should take him out of trade speculation for the time being.
  • The Coyotes will welcome center Barrett Hayton back to the lineup on Saturday against Los Angeles, reports Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports (Twitter link). The 21-year-old has received a significant bump in ice time this season with his ATOI jumping up by more than five minutes a night but it hasn’t resulted in a jump in production as he has just two goals and four assists in 26 games so far.  Hayton has been out for nearly six weeks with a hand injury and with his entry-level deal expiring this summer, he’ll be looking for a strong finish to his season to bolster his case for his second contract.

Chicago Blackhawks| Dallas Stars| Utah Mammoth Barrett Hayton| Joe Pavelski| Marc-Andre Fleury

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