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Predators Unsure Of Deadline Plans

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After making the playoffs a year ago, the Predators added a pair of key veterans in Ryan McDonagh and Nino Niederreiter in the hopes of trying to take another step forward.  However, they’ve gone in the wrong direction and find themselves three points out of a playoff spot heading into tonight’s action.   Speaking with Paul Skrbina of The Tennessean (subscription link), GM David Poile acknowledged that while he wants to do something, the lack of success in the playoffs gives him some pause so he’s not sure what his plan is yet leading into the trade deadline:

In the last few years we’ve been in the middle, been making the playoffs. But we have not been able to be successful in the playoffs, (which) causes me pause in terms of where the team is headed, where we should go. This next month before the trading deadline is critical to our thinking and in our planning.

We’ve been here for a few years, so I’d like to get out of that in some form or fashion. That means doing something. Does that mean buy more? Does that mean taking a step back? I don’t know the answer to that yet. That’s what we work on, think about every day.

If Nashville decides to sell, they don’t have much in the way of expiring contracts which is typically the currency at this time of the season; their most prominent pending UFA is goaltender Kevin Lankinen.  Next up would be depth winger Cole Smith.  Neither player is going to garner much of a return if any.  Pending RFA defenseman Dante Fabbro has been a speculative trade candidate dating back to last season but he’s in the midst of a down year and is averaging just over 16 minutes per night; if they move him now, they’d be doing so at a low point in his value.

While they in theory could turn around and do a bigger selloff, Poile ruled out that course of action.  Plus, this isn’t typically the right time to move out players with pricey contracts and long-term commitments.

Speaking of those commitments, with nearly $70MM on the books for next season already per CapFriendly, there’s not much room to add aside from rentals if Poile wanted to try to bolster his roster to make a late push at a playoff spot.  That said, it’s fair to wonder if a non-playoff team should be adding rental players; that’s generally not a wise course of action to take.

If they sell, they don’t have much to work with in terms of typical trade deadline currency.  If they buy, they’re going to be more or less limited to short-term rentals with no guarantee that they can get back into the mix.  Either way, the Preds don’t appear to be in an ideal situation with the deadline now just five weeks away.

Rangers Searching For Defensive Depth Upgrade

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Although the Rangers gave blueliner Ben Harpur a vote of confidence with a two-year, $1.575MM contract extension earlier this week (a nice outcome for someone who started the year on an AHL tryout), it shouldn’t automatically be construed that he is in the plans for their upcoming playoff push.  To that end, Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports that GM Chris Drury is believed to be looking for an upgrade on Harpur on the third pairing alongside Braden Schneider.

New York has had a trio of defenders in that role this season with largely middling results.  Zachary Jones had the first opportunity over the first seven weeks of the year but the team decided he was better served by playing big minutes with AHL Hartford.  Libor Hajek continues to be stuck in the undesirable situation of not being deemed good enough to play regularly but is too good to risk losing for nothing on waivers.  The end result has once again been frequent healthy scratches.

Harpur has had the bulk of the opportunities lately but hasn’t stood out himself although he at least has provided a bit of consistency defensively.  Even so, he has just 14 career playoff games under his belt over his first six NHL seasons and as he’s averaging less than 14 minutes a night, it’s understandable that they’d want someone capable of doing a bit more.  All told, those three have combined for three goals and four assists across 51 games so it’s definitely a position that could stand to be improved upon.

The Rangers are one of the few buyers that are poised to have considerable cap flexibility heading into the March 3rd trade deadline with CapFriendly pegging their spending room at just over $6.78MM in full-season salary.  Between that and the potential for a trading team to retain salary, that’s more than enough space to make a splash up front as expected and then improve a depth spot or two.  And while impact defenders don’t often go at the deadline, moves to shore up defensive depth are quite commonplace.

With more than $67MM in commitments for next season already and a few key young players heading for restricted free agency (headlined by blueliner K’Andre Miller, center Filip Chytil, and winger Alexis Lafreniere), it’s unlikely that Drury would want to add someone signed beyond this season.  Fortunately, there should be several left-shot depth defenders on expiring contracts from teams that will be selling.  It’s a bit early yet to determine who all those sellers will be but Drury will have multiple teams and players to choose from when the time comes to find an upgrade on Harpur.

Snapshots: Motte, Tarasenko, Guzda

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Yesterday, we covered how Ottawa Senators netminder Cam Talbot could be a name in play around the trade deadline. Today, The Fourth Period has added Senators forward Tyler Motte’s name to the mix, reporting that Senators GM Pierre Dorion has “started to get engaged in trade discussions” involving players such as Motte.

The Senators have been long-rumored to be seeking a blueline upgrade, and perhaps dealing Motte is one way they can reach that goal. Motte, who will turn 28 in March, signed with the Senators this past summer on a one-year, $1.35MM deal. He’s a well-regarded bottom-sixer who was dealt as a rental last year, helping the New York Rangers make a run to the Eastern Conference Final. Perhaps he’ll find himself in a similar situation this year.

Some other notes from across the NHL:

  • It has been widely reported that the New Jersey Devils are seeking to upgrade their forward corps by adding a top-six winger this deadline season. One option for the team could be St. Louis Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman spoke on the 32 Thoughts podcast about this, stating that the Devils have had interest in acquiring Tarasenko in the past. Timo Meier’s name is also in the mix, but now it seems possible that the Devils could be targeting Tarasenko as well.
  • The Florida Panthers have sent netminder Mack Guzda back to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers. With Spencer Knight seemingly close to returning to the ice for Florida, Guzda will head back to Charlotte, where he has a .911 save percentage in 17 games.

Toronto Maple Leafs Make Several Roster Moves

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced several roster moves. Defenseman T.J. Brodie has been activated off of injured reserve. goaltender Joseph Woll has been recalled from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies on an emergency basis, a move necessary since Matt Murray is still dealing with a lingering ankle issue.

Additionally, forward Bobby McMann has been loaned to the Marlies, and star center Auston Matthews has been placed on injured reserve.

These are quite a few moves to sort out, but a few come as no surprise. Matthews lands on injured reserve after recent news that he would be out for three weeks with a knee sprain. Matthews has scored 53 points in 47 games this season, a rate lower than what he posted in last year’s Hart Trophy-winning campaign, and Matthews’ injury-related absence was in part with the purpose of getting him closer to 100% health for the rest of the season.

Matthews’ placement on injured reserve, combined with McMann being sent to the Marlies, clears a roster spot for GM Kyle Dubas to work with. McMann heads back to the Marlies after an eight-game run with the Maple Leafs. The undrafted former Colgate Raider has had a strong AHL year so far, scoring 15 points in 17 games, although the NHL scoresheet has eluded him.

He’ll likely be an option for another recall later in the year should injuries require the team to dip into its reserve of forwards at the AHL level once again.

Woll, 24, has been recalled on an emergency basis, likely with the idea of him backing up starting netminder Ilya Samsonov. Woll is a 2016 third-round pick who has posted extremely strong numbers in the AHL this season since returning from injury. In 13 games played, Woll has gone 12-1 with a .928 save percentage.

For their final move of this series of transactions, the Maple Leafs have activated veteran blueliner Brodie off of injured reserve.  Brodie has been out since the Maple Leafs’ January 7th contest against the Detroit Red Wings. His addition back to the roster gives the team eight defensemen on their active roster, so it’s possible another move could be coming if the team is looking to carry just seven, which is the traditional amount teams like to keep on their roster.

With Brodie back into the mix, Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe now has his blueline nearly back to full health after sustaining some significant injury issues over the course of this season. The status of veteran Jake Muzzin is still, of course, unclear, but with Brodie back into the fold, the team’s blueline is significantly stronger.

While the team may not be able to catch the league-leading Boston Bruins without an extremely hot run of results, adding Brodie back into the mix should help them solidify their second-place spot in the Atlantic Division.

Seattle Kraken Re-Assign John Hayden, Max McCormick To AHL

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The Seattle Kraken have sent two forwards back to their AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds: John Hayden and Max McCormick. The move opens up two roster spots that are now at GM Ron Francis’ disposal.

Hayden, 27, has played in three games for the Kraken this season. He’s operated in a depth role in each of those three contests, never crossing into double-digit minutes played in any of the three games. In that span, Hayden registered one goal, two blocked shots, and a hit.

Hayden’s made more of an impact this year at the AHL level, scoring 25 points in 34 games. His return to that level should help the Firebirds continue their run as one of the top teams in the American league.

McCormick, 30, has found similar success in the AHL but, unlike Hayden, didn’t manage to get into any NHL games during his time on the Kraken active roster. He got into 10 games for the Kraken last season, though, but he didn’t manage to get onto the score sheet.

In the AHL, McCormick is tied for first place on the Firebirds in scoring with 18 goals and 42 points so far this season. He’ll now head back to Coachella Valley where he will in all likelihood resume his role as one of coach Dan Bylsma’s most relied-upon offensive producers.

Chicago Blackhawks Send Three To Minors

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The Chicago Blackhawks have assigned a trio of players to the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs this morning, per the team. Forward Luke Philp, defenseman Filip Roos, and goalie Jaxson Stauber are all headed back to the American Hockey League.

The transactions leave Chicago with no healthy extra skaters on the active roster and just one goalie, so expect some or all of Philp, Roos, and Stauber to get recalled back to the NHL when Chicago returns from the All-Star break on February 7.

After getting recalled last Monday, the 27-year-old Philp made his NHL debut the following night against Vancouver after a long Canadian collegiate and AHL career up to that point. In his second career game two days later against Calgary, he recorded his first NHL point. Philp has been a solid offensive presence in Rockford this season, recording 30 points in 31 games. He could be a candidate to see a second recall later this season.

Roos, an undrafted 24-year-old rookie out of Sweden, has played 15 games with Chicago this year, recording a goal and two assists. He unexpectedly cracked Chicago’s opening night roster and lasted quite a while, as he stayed there until the Blackhawks assigned him to Rockford on December 13. After just over a month in the minors, where he had a respectable three goals and seven points in 17 games, Roos was recalled to Chicago along with Philp last Monday.

Stauber is the third undrafted free agent signing on this list, acquired by the Blackhawks in free agency after he posted a .921 save percentage in 37 games with Providence College last season. Despite some subpar AHL numbers (a .896 mark through 12 games in Rockford), Stauber’s played well in limited NHL action. He’s stopped 63 of 67 shots faced in two games with Chicago this year, both wins.

Poll: Will The Buffalo Sabres Make The Playoffs?

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The Buffalo Sabres are no strangers to hot starts that fade quickly. Despite being among the league’s best well into November multiple times over the past few seasons, the franchise has still failed to make a playoff appearance since 2011.

2022-23 seems to have a different vibe for Buffalo, though. The team sits eighth in the Eastern Conference by points percentage at the end of January, with teams over halfway through their regular-season schedules. They’ve surged past an injury-laden Washington Capitals squad to sit in playoff positioning, and they’ve kept pace ahead of other up-and-coming Atlantic Division teams like the Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators.

With 33 games left to play in their season, though, can they keep up their play?

Buffalo hasn’t exactly been a model of consistency for defensive play, but that was never the expectation for such a young team. While they sit among the bottom third of teams in terms of goals against, their 185 goals scored rank third in the NHL at the time of writing.

Their patchwork goaltending tandem of 41-year-old Craig Anderson and career backup Eric Comrie raised many eyebrows at the beginning of the season. Now, it’s turned into a more capable trio, including the 23-year-old Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. He’s started 20 games in Buffalo this year, the most among all Sabres netminders and his .900 save percentage is in line with the league’s average. Anderson, while he hasn’t played often, has exceeded all expectations with a .918 mark in 16 games.

Buffalo already has four 20-goal scorers, with Tage Thompson (34), Alex Tuch (23), Victor Olofsson (23), and Jeff Skinner (20) leading the way. Thompson, Tuch, Skinner, and Rasmus Dahlin all produce over a point per game. 21-year-old Dylan Cozens is enjoying a true breakout campaign with 43 points in 48 games. 20-year-old Owen Power is near the top of the Calder Trophy conversation and is playing more than any other rookie defenseman this year, averaging 23:39 per game.

There are many reasons to be optimistic. But with such an inexperienced and young team, along with the franchise’s recent history of disappointment, there are obviously questions about sustainability.

However, many questions can also be raised about their competitors for Wild Card positioning in the Eastern Conference. Alarm bells are sounding in Pittsburgh, as the Penguins have won just three games in regulation since Christmas. Similar concerns can be had about the aging Capitals, who are cooling off after a December hot streak and continue to encounter injury news at an uncomfortable pace.

Both the Red Wings and Florida Panthers, their closest Atlantic Division threats, have dipped into negative goal differential territory and have hovered close to the .500 mark for most of the past couple of months. It still may be premature to discount the Panthers, considering their tantalizing scoring depth on paper, but they also haven’t been able to keep the puck out of their own net with any consistency this year. Unlike other teams in the conversation, Florida also has no salary cap flexibility to add at the trade deadline.

That’s one area where Buffalo shines. Despite being in playoff position, Buffalo has the most cap space of any NHL team. While some may argue it would be premature for general manager Kevyn Adams to ship out assets at this year’s March 3 trade deadline, a non-rental addition could help solidify Buffalo’s already impressive core for future seasons.

So, we ask you, PHR readers: can the Buffalo Sabres hang on and make their first playoff appearance in 12 seasons, ending the NHL’s longest active drought? Make your voice heard by voting in the poll below.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Pittsburgh Penguins Send Two Players To AHL

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With the Pittsburgh Penguins off through the All-Star break, the team has assigned a pair of players to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL. Forward Jonathan Gruden and goalie Dustin Tokarski will rejoin Pittsburgh’s minor-league affiliate, the team said Sunday morning.

Gruden’s past two weeks on the NHL roster was the first call-up of his career, discounting preseason moves. He played in his first three NHL games on January 16, 18, and 20 and was held off most box-score stats as he averaged just 5:19 of ice time per game.

He was essentially an emergency injury replacement, as many of Pittsburgh’s bottom-six forwards were absent from the lineup with injuries. As players like Ryan Poehling returned to health over the last couple of weeks, Gruden was a scratch for Pittsburgh’s last four games. The 22-year-old natural winger, acquired in the Matt Murray trade from the Ottawa Senators in 2020, returns to Wilkes/Barre-Scranton, where he has 16 points in 32 games this season. Barring more injuries, that’s where he’ll stay for the remainder of the 2022-23 campaign.

Tokarski, on the other hand, is a much more experienced NHLer who could see a recall back to Pittsburgh when the All-Star break concludes, depending on the health of starter Tristan Jarry. Pittsburgh’s recalled Tokarski twice in the past month, once on January 3 and once on January 25, as Jarry’s dealt with injury issues that have kept him out of the lineup for most of the month.

The 33-year-old Tokarski, with 78 NHL games under his belt, is one of the best third-string options available in the league. He served as a full-time backup for the first time in his career last season, posting a 10-12-5 record and a .899 save percentage in 29 appearances with the Buffalo Sabres. Sitting third on the depth chart in Pittsburgh behind Jarry and Casey DeSmith, however, Tokarski’s dominated the minors with a .923 save percentage in 20 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

In two appearances in the NHL this season with Jarry out, Tokarski’s split his decisions with a 1-1-0 record and a .915 save percentage. If Jarry isn’t ready to go by the conclusion of the All-Star break, Tokarski could be in line for some more starts. DeSmith’s play has been subpar since the calendar turned to 2023, going 3-4-2 in 10 games with a .887 save percentage.

 

Minor Transactions: 01/28/23

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With the month of January nearly concluded, we are getting ever closer to the NHL trade deadline. Numerous teams will have to make franchise-altering choices that could chart their competitive courses for years to come. Rumblings about players such as Timo Meier, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Cam Talbot, to name a few, are making headlines. As NHL fans enjoy all the best that the upcoming trade season has to offer, teams in minor and foreign leagues are making tweaks to their rosters. We’ll keep track of all those moves here.

  • The Edmonton Oilers have signed University of Alberta netminder Matt Berlin to an ATO agreement. Berlin’s services are needed due to the fact that goaltender Stuart Skinner is out with an illness. The 25-year-old will back up Jack Campbell for tonight’s game, and then in all likelihood return to the Golden Bears, where he has an .892 save percentage in five games this season.
  • Former Carolina Hurricanes prospect Callum Booth has been released from his standard player contract by the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds. The 25-year-old netminder was signed by the Firebirds in September but has largely spent time in the ECHL as Firebirds head coach Dan Bylsma has preferred a tandem of Christopher Gibson and Joey Daccord. As 28-year-old Shane Starrett has seized the crease in ECHL Kansas City, where Booth was playing, Booth now receives a release and will look for better opportunities elsewhere. Booth has struggled so far with the Mavericks, posting an .871 save percentage in nine games played. He’s fared better in his limited AHL action this year, though, winning both games to go along with a .950 save percentage.
  • Jamie Fraser, a former member of the New York Islanders organization, has come out of retirement to return to his former club, the ICEHL’s Villacher SV. Fraser had served as Villacher’s captain for three seasons and was an ICEHL All-Star last season. His addition should help the Austrian side as they make a push for the playoffs.
  • Patrik Bartosak, a former star WHL goaltender, has made his arrangements for next season. The current Lahti Pelicans netminder has signed a contract for next season with HK Mountfield, a club in his native Czechia’s Extraliga. A former Los Angeles Kings prospect, Bartosak is a highly accomplished goalie. He’s led the Extraliga in save percentage twice (and has a career .931 mark through six seasons there) and was named the 2012-13 CHL Goalie of the Year.
  • After being released by the KHL’s Kunlun Red Star yesterday, forward Ethan Werek has found a new team, HK Mountfield. Werek actually has experience in the Czech Extraliga, having played for four-time league champions HC Ocelari Trinec during the 2018-19 season, his first outside of North America. He’ll now head back to that league to help Mountfield as they attempt to reach the postseason.
  • Yesterday, Vasterviks IK, a club in Sweden’s HockeyAllsvenskan, signed ECHL star Josh Winquist. Today, additional context may have been added to that transaction. According to a team announcement, veteran forward Alexander Hilmerson has ended his season and left Vasterviks due to a knee injury. Hilmerson scored 18 points in 39 games last season, but hadn’t managed to get onto the ice this year. The club getting some clarity on Hilmerson’s status could have paved the way for Winquist’s signing. Nonetheless, this is an unfortunate setback for the veteran Swede.
  • Montreal native Jonathan Desbiens has left the top professional league of France, Ligue Magnus, to sign with a club in the United Kingdom’s top league, the EIHL. Per a team announcement, the Manchester Storm have inked a deal with Desbiens. Desbiens is a former BCHL second-team all-star who was a quality four-year scoring forward at Bentley University. He made his professional debut last season, splitting time between two ECHL clubs before moving to France. He had a successful debut for Mulhouse in France, scoring 23 points in 22 games, but had struggled to adjust to his new team, Amiens. With just seven points in 23 games this season, he’s now made the choice to leave the French league to seek a new opportunity in Manchester. If he can replicate the success he found last season, this could be a great addition to the Storm.
  • ECHL forward Brandon Yeamans was released by his club, the Florida Everblades, today. The 24-year-old was traded by the Cincinnati Cyclones earlier this month and has apparently failed to latch on with the Everblades. Yeamans made his professional debut last year after two years playing at the Canadian University level and another several playing junior hockey in Ontario. He played well enough to earn an extension for this season in September but now will seek new opportunities to continue playing professionally. Yeamans has registered 10 points and 93 penalty minutes in his 47-game ECHL career.

West Notes: Donskoi, DeMelo, Bjugstad

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After having a largely healthy 2021-22 campaign, Seattle Kraken forward Joonas Donskoi has been on long-term injured reserve (LITR) for the entire season thus far. Based on reporting released today, not only does it seem likely that Donskoi’s stay on the LTIR list will continue, it also appears that the future of his playing career is cloudy.

Donskoi told Finnish outlet Raahen Seutu that he had suffered the seventh concussion of his playing career, and is dealing with persistent symptoms including vision problems, vertigo, and headaches. Lingering concussion symptoms can be incredibly dangerous for any athlete, let alone one as experienced as Donskoi. Similar issues have prematurely ended the career of many NHLers in the past, and one wonders if Donskoi is unfortunately headed down a similar path. While the Kraken are definitely hoping that Donksoi, who has typically been a slam-dunk bet to score at least 30 points in any season, can return to the ice, it seems getting his personal health right is the absolute top priority.

Some other notes from across the NHL:

  • Per the Winnipeg Sun’s Scott Billeck, Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dylan DeMelo will be out for the Jets’ next two games with a lower-body injury. DeMelo is an important blueliner for coach Rick Bowness. Not only does the respected defensive defenseman lead the Jets in short-handed ice time per game, but his steady defensive style has provided number-one blueliner Josh Morrissey with the freedom to play a more aggressive offensive game, something that has resulted in career-best production for Morrissey. While his absence for these next two games will not cripple a talented Jets team, it will be something for the team to monitor as they continue their playoff push.
  • Veteran Arizona Coyotes forward Nick Bjugstad has had a bit of a career resurgence in the desert, as his 21 points in 49 games this season are the most he’s scored in several years. His strong performance comes at a cheap price, as he’s playing on just a $900k cap hit for the rest of the season. The combination of Bjugstad’s improved play, cheap price tag, and veteran experience has apparently attracted more competitive clubs seeking to reinforce their forward group. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on tonight’s Hockey Night in Canada broadcast, the Edmonton Oilers are one of the teams with interest in Bjugstad. The Oilers have recently been running seven defensemen in their lineup, so the addition of Bjugstad could slot him in nicely as their fourth-line center providing coach Jay Woodcroft with a more traditional lineup.

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