Archives for February 2023

Trade Deadline Primer: Vancouver Canucks

February 18, 2023 at 11:02 am CDT | by Brian La Rose 1 Comment

Halfway through February, the trade deadline looms and is just a few weeks away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Vancouver Canucks.

While it wouldn’t be fair to say there were high expectations for Vancouver heading into the season, there were certainly some hopes that they’d be able to pick up where they left off after a strong second half in 2021-22. With Bruce Boudreau back for a full season, the team would be better offensively, Thatcher Demko would continue to be a strong starter, and things would be looking up.

Suffice it to say, that hasn’t happened. Boudreau was recently fired after months of speculation with Rick Tocchet taking over while Demko was having the worst season of his career before being injured, turning things over to a pair of AHL goaltenders. The end result is that they’re one of the worst teams in the league defensively and with one big move made already – Bo Horvat to the Islanders – the selling-off process is well underway.

Record

21-30-4, 6th in the Pacific

Deadline Status

Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$7.62MM in LTIR relief, 1/3 retention slots used, 47/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2023: NYI 1st*, VAN 1st, VAN 2nd, VAN 3rd, NYR 4th, VAN 4th, VAN 6th
2024: VAN 1st, VAN 3rd, VAN 4th, VAN 5th, VAN 6th, VAN 7th

*-Pick is top-12 protected in 2022-23 and becomes an unprotected pick in 2024 if it doesn’t convey this season.

Trade Chips

There has been no shortage of speculation surrounding defenseman Luke Schenn in recent weeks. The veteran has been a capable defensive piece on the third pairing over the last two seasons while being one of the most physical players in the league. He’s also extremely cheap as his $850K cap hit is just $100K above the minimum salary. Accordingly, this is a contract that pretty much everyone can afford without necessarily needing retention or salary offsets, elements we’re going to see come up frequently over the next couple of weeks. Schenn has indicated that he’d like to stay in Vancouver but they’re likely to get a high enough draft pick that they’ll opt to move him.

Also on the back end, Tyler Myers is another player who has been in trade speculation for a little while. Unlike Schenn, he’s not a rental (signed through next season) and certainly isn’t cheap with a $6MM AAV and a 10-team no-trade clause. He’s still capable of logging top-four minutes and in a swap of underperforming change-of-scenery veterans, there’s a move to be made with him. Another defenseman, Travis Dermott, is one to keep an eye on. Injuries and struggles have limited him to just 11 games so far. Owed a $1.75MM qualifying offer this summer, that’s a price that’s likely more than they’re willing to pay so if there’s a team that wants the 26-year-old as extra depth, it’s hard to imagine the Canucks passing up the opportunity to pick up a late-round pick there.

Up front, Brock Boeser is someone to keep an eye on. Things have not gone well for him this season but he has scored more than 20 goals in four of the last five years and likely would have gotten there in the year he didn’t had it not been for the pandemic-abbreviated schedule. There are teams that certainly could use him in their top six but with a $6.65MM price tag through 2024-25, fitting him into a contender’s cap structure will be tough. If they’re willing to retain salary though, there’s a chance he could be on the move as well.

Conor Garland is having a decent season and should reach 39 points for the fourth year in a row. However, he has taken a bit of a step back from last year and with the additions of Andrei Kuzmenko and Ilya Mikheyev last summer and the acquisition of Anthony Beauvillier in the Horvat trade, Vancouver has a surplus of wingers. Garland carried some decent trade value back with Arizona but how much will his contract (which runs through 2025-26 at a $4.95MM AAV) change things? Again, retention might be necessary to facilitate a move or at least take a similarly-priced player back.

Other Potential Trade Chips: G Collin Delia, F Micheal Ferland (LTIR contract), D Jack Rathbone, D Riley Stillman

Team Needs

1) Picks and Prospects – This one is pretty obvious for a team that’s heading for a rebuild. Vancouver hasn’t had more than six picks in the last three years and has only picked twice in the top 75 over that span. Their prospect pool isn’t the deepest as a result and needs to be built back up.

2) Cap Flexibility – At the moment, Vancouver has just over $80MM in commitments for next season while still needing to fill out a few roster spots. Even as a seller, they need to open up some room simply to be able to afford to ice a full team next season. Moving out one of their pricier contracts (Myers, Garland, or Boeser) would go a long way toward giving them some much-needed wiggle room.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Canadiens Recall Corey Schueneman

February 18, 2023 at 9:45 am CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

With the Canadiens carrying just six healthy defensemen on their roster and Justin Barron leaving Thursday’s game early due to injury, they’ve brought up an extra rearguard as Sportsnet’s Eric Engels reports (Twitter link) that Corey Schueneman has been recalled.

It’s the third recall of the season for the 27-year-old who was brought up for a pair of short stints in October although he didn’t get into any NHL appearances during that time. Schueneman has suited up in 43 games with AHL Laval this season, picking up five goals and 13 assists. Schueneman does have some NHL experience under his belt, however, as he got into 24 games with the Canadiens last season where he picked up six points and 40 blocked shots while averaging 16:36 per night.

Early indications are that Barron should be able to play tonight against Toronto so Schueneman, a pending unrestricted free agent, is likely just being added to the roster as an insurance policy at this point. To make room for him on the roster, defenseman Arber Xhekaj was placed on injured reserve. He’s out indefinitely after sustaining an upper-body injury last weekend. The team announced (Twitter link) that he’ll see a specialist next week with an update to come at that time.

Maple Leafs Recall Erik Kallgren On Emergency Basis

February 18, 2023 at 9:25 am CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

With Matt Murray still injured and Ilya Samsonov missing practice yesterday due to illness, the Maple Leafs needed a second goalie on the active roster. That goaltender is Erik Kallgren as the team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled him while assigning forward Pontus Holmberg to AHL Toronto in a corresponding move.

Kallgren has split this season between the NHL and AHL and actually has fared better with the Maple Leafs than the Marlies. In 10 NHL contests, the 26-year-old has a 2.67 GAA along with a .898 SV% while in 16 minor league appearances, his GAA jumps to 3.33 while his SV% dips to .884. He’s in the final season of a two-year, two-way contract and will be eligible for restricted free agency this summer.

Holmberg, meanwhile, has acquitted himself well in his first taste of NHL action this season. He has played in 36 games with the Leafs so far, picking up five goals and eight assists but with yesterday’s additions of Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari, playing time was going to be difficult to come by. He’ll return to the Marlies where he has seven points in 16 games so far.

While unannounced by the team yesterday, veteran Wayne Simmonds was also papered to the minors. But even after that, Toronto is currently over the maximum 23-player roster with Kallgren’s promotion. Teams get two emergency goalie recalls per season that allows them to go over the limit for up to 48 hours and barring another roster move, it appears that’s what they’re going with here.

Toronto Maple Leafs Acquire Ryan O’Reilly In Three-Team Trade

February 17, 2023 at 10:11 pm CDT | by Ethan Hetu 46 Comments

The Toronto Maple Leafs, St. Louis Blues, and Minnesota Wild have completed a three-team, blockbuster trade.

In the deal, Toronto has acquired St. Louis’ captain, Ryan O’Reilly, veteran forward Noel Acciari, and prospect Josh Pillar. St. Louis has received Mikhail Abramov, Adam Gaudette, Toronto’s 2023 first-round pick, Ottawa’s 2023 third-round pick, and Toronto’s 2024 second-round pick. Minnesota received Toronto’s fourth-round pick in 2025.

As part of the deal, St. Louis will retain 50% of O’Reilly’s salary, while Minnesota will retain 25% of the cap hit. Both O’Reilly and Acciari are set to hit unrestricted free agency at year’s end.

It goes without saying that this is an extremely significant trade, and one that represents a major push from Toronto to try to finally get the franchise past the first round of the NHL playoffs. The Maple Leafs will, in all likelihood, once again be playing the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round, assuming there are no major changes in the standings.

The Lightning have won the Eastern Conference for three straight seasons, so for Toronto to really gear itself up for that expected first-round matchup, they would need to increase their firepower from their already talent-rich position.

Now, after this trade, Toronto boasts Auston Matthews, John Tavares, and O’Reilly as the team’s top-three centers. Most would be hard-pressed to find another team in the NHL that can boast such a strong trio of pivots.

It’s true that O’Reilly’s offense is down from the rate he normally scores at.

He’s got just 12 goals and 19 points in 40 games this season, which is just two points more than current Maple Leafs third-line center David Kampf.

But O’Reilly isn’t being acquired for what he’ll bring to Toronto’s scoring attack, they already score goals in bunches.

He’s been acquired by the Maple Leafs because he brings exactly what many have felt Toronto has lacked in recent years in their biggest moments: competitive fire, the ability to rise to the occasion, and a willingness to rally in the face of challenges in order to get a job done.

O’Reilly’s exploits in the Blues’ 2019 Stanley Cup championship run cemented his status as a beloved St. Louis Blue. O’Reilly captured the Conn Smythe Trophy scoring 23 points in 26 games, as well as playing absolutely stellar defense that often left the line he was matched up against suffocated and unable to build offensive momentum. Overall, he has 56 points in his 64-game playoff career, a higher career playoff point-per-game scoring rate than Matthews, Tavares, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander, despite the fact that those players are normally considered to be in a different stratosphere of offensive talent.

With O’Reilly in tow, head coach Sheldon Keefe will be able to build a shutdown line that he can match with the deadliest scoring lines he faces in the playoffs. While the Maple Leafs have had competent defensive centers in the past, none boast the type of resume O’Reilly has built, especially in the unique environment of the playoffs. With forwards who are strong in their own end such as Kampf, Acciari, or even Zach Aston-Reese, Keefe could be able to complement his two deadly scoring lines with a premier shutdown line as well, boasting the kind of three-line mix that could handle any in-game situation.

O’Reilly is also a highly-regarded leader and someone whose locker room presence has played a major role in a Stanley Cup victory and in last season’s playoffs, where O’Reilly’s Blues were one of the few teams who truly gave the eventual champions, the Colorado Avalanche, a run for their money.

There are some who would rather the Maple Leafs spent these assets on a forward with some more points than O’Reilly has scored this season. But when looking at the problems that have plagued Toronto in prior years, it’s hard to say there is anyone available on the trade market who would be better fit than O’Reilly.

Beyond just O’Reilly, Toronto has also acquired Acciari, a well-respected, versatile bottom-six forward. The 31-year-old has scored 10 goals and 18 points this season, and can play both center and on the wings. While he doesn’t bring the scoring pedigree or star value that comes with O’Reilly, Acciari has 54 games of playoff experience and has been to a Stanley Cup final. He’ll undoubtedly be an upgrade for Toronto’s bottom six and helps with their overall goal of adding character players with playoff experience.

They also acquire prospect Josh Pillar, who currently plays for the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL. He’s a 21-year-old winger who was a fourth-rounder of the Wild at the 2021 draft. He’s scored decently well in the WHL and just returned from injury. He plays a polished game but his ultimate professional upside remains unclear. Per CapFriendly, the Maple Leafs will have exclusive rights to sign Pillar to his entry-level deal until June 1st.

From St. Louis’ point-of-view, this deal might be a tough pill to swallow but it’s ultimately a positive move for the team. It’s never ideal for any team to lose its captain and especially so if that player was a crucial part of the franchise’s first-ever Stanley Cup championship. But looking at this trade with the emotion of losing O’Reilly aside, this is a deal that should leave Blues fans satisfied.

Firstly, they landed another top draft pick for this upcoming NHL draft, adding another premier selection in a class that has drawn rave reviews from scouts. In addition, the reality of the Blues’ season and O’Reilly’s contract status makes this a trade that the Blues simply had to make. The team has spent significant dollars locking up Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas recently, and sinking significant cap space into O’Reilly for the rest of what is shaping up to be a lost season (and a few years beyond) simply wouldn’t make sense, especially at the opportunity cost of adding the sort of draft pick haul they received.

If adding Acciari helped GM Doug Armstrong coax the best possible package of picks from the Maple Leafs in this deal, then that’s fine. Acciari likely could have been traded on his own, but adding him into this deal is a reasonable choice if it helped the Blues add that 2024 second-rounder.

In addition to the bounty of draft choices they received, the Blues also got Abramov, who is a 21-year-old 2019 fourth-rounder. He has scored 16 points in 34 AHL games this year and is someone for the team to plug into their AHL affiliate in Springfield to see what their development staff can do with his offensive skill.

They also received the 2017-18 Hobey Baker award winner, Gaudette, who has been a top scorer for the Toronto Marlies this season. With 34 points in 40 AHL games, he could either serve as an experienced depth NHLer to help fill a spot on St. Louis’ roster (he does have experience playing center) or could help Springfield.

For Minnesota, this is a tidy, if a relatively insignificant bit of business for the team. Their trade of Pillar indicates that they likely were going to let his rights lapse in the summer anyway, so for their relatively minor retention on O’Reilly, they net a mid-round draft pick. While much as been made of the Wild’s precarious cap position, they do actually have some room to maneuver this year. Turning some of that vacant space into a mid-round draft pick is nothing to complain about.

Overall, this is a trade that has the potential to serve as a significant moment for both the Maple Leafs and Blues franchises. For Toronto, they add a player whose resume seems almost perfectly tailored to address the problems that have ailed them in the playoff runs of the past. For St. Louis, they turn an expiring asset into a multitude of draft picks that could allow them to quickly move on from this disappointing campaign.

If the Maple Leafs don’t end up winning the Stanley Cup or even getting out of the first round, it will be easy to look back at this deal and criticize their management for paying so many draft picks for rental players.

But ultimately, this trade is simply a team hungry for some playoff success adding one of the most accomplished playoff performers on the market. Even if it doesn’t end up working out as the involved teams hope, this is a difficult deal to criticize.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Snapshots: Vilardi, Jarry, Neil, Bennett

February 17, 2023 at 9:00 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 3 Comments

The Kings welcomed an important forward tonight against Anaheim as Zach Dooley of LA Kings Insider relays that forward Gabriel Vilardi was cleared to return to the lineup. The 23-year-old missed a little more than a month due to an upper-body injury but before that, he was in the midst of a breakout season as he has 17 goals and 14 assists in 45 games heading into tonight’s action. Those numbers already represent career-highs. While he was drafted as a center, Vilardi has been a regular on the wing for the last couple of seasons and with Los Angeles having plenty of young depth down the middle, there’s a good chance he won’t be going back to his natural position.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters today (video link) prior to tonight’s game that goaltender Tristan Jarry skated today and that they haven’t ruled out the possibility of him returning on Saturday against New Jersey. Jarry has missed the last three weeks due to an upper-body injury and had been playing quite well up to that point, posting a career-high .921 SV% in his first 27 starts of the season. Pittsburgh is in a very tight battle for a Wild Card spot and welcoming their starting goalie back would go a long way toward helping their chances for the stretch run.
Long-time Senators winger Chris Neil had his #25 retired by the team on Friday night but Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch relays that the 15-year player nearly signed with rival Toronto back in 2009. The Maple Leafs made the high-money offer to Neil who, at the time, was coming off a down season but he opted to take a little less to stay with Ottawa. In the end, he suited up for more than 1,000 games with the Sens, recording more than 2,500 penalty minutes.
While Panthers forward Sam Bennett is doing “much better” according to head coach Paul Maurice, team reporter Jameson Olive relays (Twitter link) that he still might not be ready to return for their next game on Saturday against Nashville. The 26-year-old left Tuesday’s game with an undisclosed injury and didn’t play in Thursday’s victory over Washington. Bennett has 14 goals and 21 assists in 56 games so far, good for sixth on Florida in scoring.

Ducks Prospect Henry Thrun To Test Free Agency

February 17, 2023 at 7:51 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 9 Comments

The Ducks will soon be losing a promising prospect as GM Pat Verbeek confirmed to Lisa Dillman of the Orange County Register that defenseman Henry Thrun will not sign with the team and instead intends to go to free agency this summer.

The 21-year-old was a fourth-round pick by Anaheim back in 2019 (101st overall) and has vastly outperformed his draft stock since then. He’s averaging a point per game so far this season with Harvard and has 77 points in 90 games in his three years at the NCAA level, numbers that are well above average for a defender.

Anaheim has a very strong defensive pipeline with youngster Jamie Drysdale already in the NHL along with 2021 second-round pick Olen Zellweger, Pavel Mintyukov, who went 10th overall last summer, Drew Helleson, acquired from Colorado in the Josh Manson trade last season, and Jackson LaCombe, who recently indicated that he will sign once his college season ends. Accordingly, it appears Thrun feels his best path to try to earn a spot in the NHL will be somewhere else.

He’s not the first Harvard player that has gone this route or at least threatened to do so. Jimmy Vesey and Alex Kerfoot ultimately tested the market while Adam Fox and John Marino were eventually traded and signed with their new team (although it took two trades for Fox to do so). It’s possible that Verbeek, now knowing he won’t be able to sign Thrun, will look to trade his rights elsewhere in the hopes of at least salvaging some sort of return while the acquiring team would hope to convince Thrun to sign, allowing them to add a quality prospect for a below-market return.

Central Notes: Francouz, Gostisbehere, Krug

February 17, 2023 at 6:40 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 2 Comments

It will pretty much strictly be Alexandar Georgiev’s net for the time being in Colorado as Peter Baugh of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that netminder Pavel Francouz will be out for the next three weeks due to a lower-body injury. The 32-year-old is no stranger to missing time as his NHL career high in games played in a single season is only 34. However, Francouz has done rather well this season, posting a 2.53 GAA with a .919 SV% in 15 starts, numbers that are actually a little better than Georgiev. The Avalanche recalled Justus Annunen earlier today and it’s worth noting that their next four games are a pair of back-to-backs but with the youngster having just two career NHL appearances and Colorado only being two points up on a playoff spot, it’s possible that Georgiev will need to play both ends of those contests.

Minor Transactions: 02/17/23

February 17, 2023 at 5:25 pm CDT | by Ethan Hetu 5 Comments

With the trade deadline just around the corner, we’ve reached a busy section of the NHL schedule. Tonight’s matchups feature some divisional rivalries, such as the Anaheim Ducks against the Los Angeles Kings as well as the Dallas Stars against the Minnesota Wild. Additionally, Connor McDavid will continue his chase for 100 points against the New York Rangers. As fans across the hockey world get ready to enjoy tonight’s games, teams in minor and foreign leagues are making roster moves. We’ll keep track of those transactions here.

2011 Toronto Maple Leafs first-round pick Stuart Percy will be leaving his current club, HC Motor Ceske Budejovice, at the end of the season, according to a report from Michal Kosturik of iSport.cz. Per this report, the 29-year-old blueliner is likely to remain in the Czech Extraliga, albeit with a new club. If Percy does end up departing Ceske Budejovice, he would end a two-year run there which saw him help lead Budejovice to the Extraliga semifinals, where they lost to HC Sparta Praha. Percy last played in North America in 2019-20, when he got into 5 AHL games for the Belleville Senators.
The AHL’s Syracuse Crunch have signed University of Waterloo forward Daniel Walker to a one-year AHL contract, per a team announcement. The 23-year-old Walker played four years in the OHL, splitting time between the North Bay Battalion and Oshawa Generals. While led the OHL in penalty minutes with 129 in 2018-19, he found his goal-scoring touch in college, and finishes his time at Waterloo with 24 goals in 35 games. He’ll now begin his professional career in Central New York with an AHL contract in hand.
The ECHL’s Kalamazoo Wings have signed Canadian University defenseman Franco Sproviero, fresh off of an above-point-per-game season with the University of Western Ontario. The five-foot-nine blueliner scored 60 points in his final OHL season with the Sarnia Sting, and will now get the chance to begin his professional career in North America’s third-tier pro league. He joins a Wings team that has had a difficult season and is looking to add some scoring from their back end as their top-scoring defenseman has 21 points in 36 games.
The ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays have signed forward Ian Mackey, meaning he’ll join his third ECHL team of the season. The 26-year-old has gotten into games this year for the Savannah Ghost Pirates and Atlanta Gladiators and now heads to South Carolina. Last season, Mackey plied his trade playing lower-level hockey in Sweden.
German youngster Bennet Rossmy is reportedly transferring from the DEL’s Eisbaren Berlin to DEL rival Dusseldorfer EG for next season, according to B.Z.’s Joerg Lubrich. The 19-year-old already has 61 games of DEL experience under his belt despite still being a teenager. He helped Berlin win the DEL last season, and while he hasn’t had a ton of scoring success in Germany’s top league he has been a more impactful contributor at the DEL2 level.
Czech forward Jakub Izacky is concluding a six-year stint in the Hungarian Erste Liga in order to make a move to the EIHL’s Nottingham Panthers for the rest of the season. The 29-year-old heads to the United Kingdom having scored 247 points in 221 career games in the Hungarian league. He has not yet played in the EIHL, and before Hungary the bulk of his experience came playing in Czechia’s second and third divisions. Izacky played one season in North America, scoring 21 goals and 38 points for the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs in 2012-13, which ranked him second in team scoring behind Jonathan Huberdeau, who would go on to win the Calder Trophy later that season.
Alexandr Peresunko has transferred from the Hungarian Erste Liga to HK Poprad of the Slovak Tipos Extraliga. The 23-year-old Ukrainian scored 37 points in 29 games for UTE Budapest, and heads to Slovakia which puts him a step up in difficulty on the European professional hockey ladder. The move is solid progress for the former Victoriaville Tigre, who scored 31 points in 57 games during the 2019-20 QMJHL season.

This page will be updated throughout the day

Seattle Kraken Reassign John Hayden

February 17, 2023 at 3:52 pm CDT | by Ethan Hetu 4 Comments

The Seattle Kraken have reassigned John Hayden to their AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, clearing an open spot on Seattle’s 23-man roster for GM Ron Francis to work with.

Hayden, 28, was last on the ice for Coachella Valley on February 4th, when he helped the Firebirds defeat the San Diego Gulls 4-0. That wrapped up a two-game stay in Coachella Valley before he headed back to the Kraken’s roster. He got into two games for coach Dave Hakstol, scoring a goal in the Kraken’s shootout loss to the Winnipeg Jets on February 14th.

This season, Hayden has been a priory call-up for the Kraken when they need a reliable veteran forward to fill a down-the-lineup roster spot. He’s scored two goals in five NHL games so far this year, and has nearly 250 total games of NHL experience.

Hayden has been more of a difference-maker in the AHL, helping the Firebirds to an exceptional season. Hayden has 25 points in 36 AHL games, and has scored at a healthy rate whenever he’s been in the AHL in his career. He’ll now head back to coach Dan Bylsma’s squad with the hope that he can continue to play a helpful role for the Firebirds while waiting for his next NHL opportunity.

Boston Bruins Reassign Jakub Lauko

February 17, 2023 at 3:12 pm CDT | by Ethan Hetu Leave a Comment

As the Boston Bruins prepare for the imminent return of forward Jake DeBrusk from injury, the team has reassigned forward Jakub Lauko to their AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins. Lauko last played in the AHL on February 4th, when he scored a goal in Providence’s 4-1 win over the Utica Comets.

Lauko, 22, is a speedy, forceful forward who has earned eleven games with the Bruins this season thanks largely to his off-puck play. A 2018 third-round pick, Lauko has scored moderately well at the AHL level this year, with nine goals and 15 points in 30 games.

In the NHL, Lauko is averaging a shade under nine and a half minutes of ice time per game, and has registered three points, 22 hits, and two blocked shots.

He’s gotten a few looks on the Bruins’ penalty kill during his time on their roster, and has begun to establish himself as an energetic, cheap depth piece for coach Jim Montgomery. Lauko will be eligible for restricted free agency in the offseason, although The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa has speculated that Lauko could be one of the Bruins’ trade chips as they chase upgrades to their team at the deadline. (subscription link)

Now back in the AHL, the best thing Lauko can do is continue being a difference-maker at that level as he bides his time waiting to return to the NHL roster.

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