Snapshots: Three Stars, Francouz, Forsberg
The NHL released its Three Stars for last week, led by New York Rangers superstar Artemi Panarin. The 31-year-old winger had nine points in four games including a five-point effort against the Carolina Hurricanes in a very important game. With that, he’s up to 59 points in 53 games and once again on pace to break 90 this season.
Even that might not catch second place though, as Erik Karlsson once again gets a star as his incredible season continues. The San Jose Sharks defenseman is up to 73 points on the season, an 82-game pace of 110 points. It’s hard to follow that, but Clayton Keller did his best to earn third, after scoring seven points in three games for the Arizona Coyotes. Despite the Coyotes’ struggles, Keller has a chance to set career highs in goals and points this season.
- The Colorado Avalanche have listed Pavel Francouz out with a lower-body injury, and recalled Jonas Johansson from the AHL to replace him. It is not clear how long the former will be out, but it likely means that Alexandar Georgiev will be starting tomorrow’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. With the Avalanche on a back-to-back Wednesday in Minnesota, Johansson’s services may be required.
- After Anton Forsberg needed a stretcher to leave the ice for the Ottawa Senators, the worst was feared. Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia gives something of a promising update though, reporting that the veteran goaltender will actually not require surgery on his knees. His recovery timeline is set at two to three months as he recovers from MCL tears in both legs.
Latest On Luke Schenn
One of the names that have been floating around in trade speculation for weeks now is Vancouver Canucks defenseman Luke Schenn. The tough, experienced defender would be a good fit on several clubs, in part due to his extremely reasonable cap hit of $850K.
Today, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports that things are “getting close” on Schenn, and notes that the Calgary Flames and Boston Bruins are still in the mix to acquire the veteran. The Tampa Bay Lightning, meanwhile, who have been linked most often to Schenn thanks to their history together, are out, according to Pagnotta.
If the reported price tag of a third-round (or more) is correct, you can see why the Lightning might decide to pull out of the running. The club doesn’t have much ammunition to make trades this year after sending multiple first-round picks away, and probably doesn’t want to use their highest selection this year on a player that would see limited minutes in the postseason.
Of course, things could certainly change. Depending on how long these negotiations go and how many other pieces are moved in the meantime, new contenders might emerge for Schenn’s services. Even if he isn’t going to make a huge impact, getting a two-time Stanley Cup champion for $850K is certainly an intriguing option for many contenders.
Nashville Predators Recall Philip Tomasino
One of the most confusing things about the Nashville Predators season so far has been the absence of Philip Tomasino. The young forward played the entire season in the NHL last year and faired well, racking up 32 points in 76 games. This year he has that same total in the minor leagues through 38 games without a single appearance with the Predators.
Now, perhaps that is about to change. Tomasino has been recalled from the Milwaukee Admirals and will join the Predators ahead of their game tonight against the Arizona Coyotes.
The 21-year-old Tomasino is an interesting case of COVID-affected development. After being selected 24th overall in 2019, he returned to the OHL for his post-draft season with championship sights. After dominating with the Niagara IceDogs through the first half, but still losing nearly all of his games, Tomasino was sent to the Oshawa Generals for a playoff run. It would be just 26 games (and 43 points) before the season was shut down, ending his year early.
In 2020-21, the OHL never ran at all, meaning he was stuck playing in the AHL even as a teenager. For many prospects, that might be overwhelming, but Tomasino showed off his offensive upside by scoring 32 points in 29 games. That led to him making the NHL club last season and showing well despite limited minutes. While prospects taking a step back isn’t uncommon, it was always sort of puzzling why he hasn’t received a single call-up this season.
With Filip Forsberg now out with injury, this is a huge opportunity for Tomasino to show he doesn’t belong in the minor leagues anymore. This team has only two forwards over the 30-point mark on the season and one that could certainly use some offensive juice inserted into the lineup. Even when Forsberg is back, there’s a reasonable case for Tomasino to stay, should he prove he’s ready over the next little while.
Five Key Stories: 02/06/23 – 02/12/23
The All-Star break is behind us, and it’s officially trade season. With so much going on, you might have missed out on some of the top stories this week.
Buffalo Locks Up Cozens: The week started out with a bang when a seven-year, $49.7MM contract extension was announced for Dylan Cozens. The Buffalo Sabres are making a strong commitment to their young core, handing out long-term deals for Cozens, Mattias Samuelsson, and Tage Thompson over the last few months.
Pretty nice early birthday present for the young center, who turned 22 on Thursday and has 44 points in 50 games so far this season.
Hughes Gets Hurt: New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes is listed out week-to-week with an upper-body suffered just after the break. While there isn’t anyone challenging Connor McDavid for the league scoring title, Hughes was right in that next tier of players, with 35 goals and 67 points in 50 games.
You could certainly notice his absence yesterday against the Minnesota Wild, but so far, the Devils have been able to step up and continue grabbing points in the standings.
New York, New York: The biggest news of the week came on Thursday when the New York Rangers landed Vladimir Tarasenko and Nikko Mikkola from the St. Louis Blues. With plenty of debate over whether the Blues got enough for the six-time 30-goal scorer, it will hopefully start moving the trade deadline dominoes.
It paid off right away for New York, as Tarasenko scored the opening goal in his first game as a Ranger (on a feed from long-time friend Artemi Panarin, no less). One interesting thing to watch is how the team uses Tarasenko down the stretch. He’s played fewer than 14 minutes in each of his appearances so far.
Press Box For Jakob: This weekend, the Arizona Coyotes have decided to pull Jakob Chychrun off the lineup card, scratching him for “trade-related reasons.” It appears as though he has played his last game for the organization and will finally be dealt after months (and months) of speculation.
Chychrun has been very public with his desire to join a contender and has played well through 36 games so far. The Coyotes have maintained through the entire process that they would wait for a high price to be matched, and it appears that is close to happening.
Oilers Chasing A Shark: Reports emerged yesterday that the San Jose Sharks and Edmonton Oilers have discussed an Erik Karlsson trade, though it would be a complicated deal to pull off midseason. With the way McDavid is playing this season, the Oilers might end up pushing all of their chips to the middle at the deadline to give him the best chance they can. Karlsson has been outstanding offensively and is on pace to be the first 100-point defenseman in decades.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
PHR Mailbag: Blackhawks, Kraken, Predictions, Stars, Draft, Devils, Mantha, Kings
Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include what Seattle might do to add before the deadline, how Dallas could be an intriguing team to keep an eye on, if there’s a trade market for Anthony Mantha, and more. If your question doesn’t appear here, check back in last weekend’s two mailbag columns.
Grocery stick: What would the Blackhawks do with Connor Bedard? If they keep trading away everyone, is Bedard supposed to play with wingers like Mackenzie Entwistle and Boris Katchouk? Should I keep my fingers crossed anyone else wins the lottery?
This is a question I’ve wondered myself for a few possible lottery winners. When you get a potential franchise player, the last thing a team should want to do is to waste his three cheap seasons by continuing to aim to finish at the bottom of the standings. If Bedard pans out as many expect him to, his second contract is going to be a pricey one, probably in the double-digit AAV range. It’s much easier to try to win when that player is capped at a $1MM base salary on an entry-level deal.
For Chicago specifically, I don’t think winning the lottery would necessarily end the rebuild and the spending would start right away to add some quality talent around him. However, I do think it would expedite what otherwise is likely to be a multi-year process.
Next season, I wouldn’t expect much to change. I think they’ll want to add a capable veteran or two (or perhaps re-sign a certain duo if they opt not to be dealt) to insulate Bedard a little bit but the goal will still be tanking so their current wingers would still likely be part of the lineup. In 2024-25, Frank Nazar might be ready to turn pro after his freshman year this season was cut short due to injury and Lukas Reichel should be a full-timer by then. They’ll also be armed with ample cap space and what should be a pretty good selling point (come play in a strong market with the next great star) to help attract some quality veterans. That’s not enough to become an immediate contender but they might be able to get to the playoffs. From there, 2025-26 would be their ‘go for it’ year before Bedard’s contract would start to become more of an obstacle.
aka.nda: How big do the Kraken dare to dream about their postseason?
I don’t expect GM Ron Francis to be dreaming too big here. Part of the logic for Seattle hiring him was the slow and steady approach he has for roster building. This is only their second year and I don’t think he feels that they’re at a spot where it’s time to flip a switch, consolidate some assets into more impact pieces, and really go for it.
There’s a big question that stands out to me that make it difficult to justify loading up too much, their goaltending. Martin Jones isn’t a true starting goalie, Philipp Grubauer is still underachieving, and even when Chris Driedger returns from his season-long injury, he’s not a real starter either. They’re not going to go trade for yet another goalie and it’s hard to think someone in that triumvirate is going to carry them to postseason success. With that in mind, it’s probably not the right time to load up.
They’ve already made their depth move on the back end with the addition of Jaycob Megna from San Jose. I could see them aiming for a third-line forward signed beyond this year with Toronto’s second-rounder being in play (a non-rental makes it easier for them to justify parting with the pick) but that’s about the extent of the buying I expect them to do.
The Duke: Oh, Supreme Soothsaying Spheroid, I humbly seek your wise fortune-telling: 1. Does Horvat somehow resurrect Barzal’s scoring? 2. Luke Hughes rumored up with Devils in early March; does he make their PP? 3. Does Tarasenko stay or go – and to where n’ for whom? 4. Same Q regarding Laine?
1) If you mean scoring in terms of goals, probably not. Mathew Barzal just isn’t a goal scorer; he’s a playmaker. It doesn’t matter who you put with him, he’ll hover around the mid-teens for goals; he’s just not a high-end shooter. But what Bo Horvat should do is balance things out. The Isles now have two capable scoring lines with some players that can be shifted around. In the long term, that’s going to help their offense and, by extension, help Barzal’s point total. If he’s on the wing with Horvat as he is now, that line should score more. If Barzal’s on the second line and Horvat’s line is drawing the tighter checkers, that should make it a bit easier on Barzal. Long story short, the trade should help Barzal’s assist total but I wouldn’t expect his goal total to change much.
2) Assuming Hughes does turn pro as expected and is in New Jersey’s lineup, it wouldn’t make a lot of sense if he wasn’t on one of their power play units. If you’re going to put someone into the lineup straight out of college, putting that player in a position to succeed is critical. He’s quite comfortable and productive on the man advantage at Michigan so it would make sense to play him on the second unit with the Devils. Damon Severson is in that spot at the moment but only has four goals (none of which were on the power play) so it’s not as if that spot can’t be upgraded.
3) Well, we all know the answer to this one now as Vladimir Tarasenko is with the Rangers as the crystal ball predicted back in December.
4) There isn’t much of a reason to think Patrik Laine is going anywhere over the next few weeks. It was a big deal for them to get Laine to give up a few UFA years on his last contract so why would they move him in the first year of that? Yes, things haven’t gone well at all and there will be changes coming but it’s not going to be their top guys that move. Laine (and Johnny Gaudreau) should be around for a couple more years at least.
@JasonClausen7: Are the Stars pretty much handcuffed this trade deadline? It seems the Benn and Seguin contracts have stopped them from being able to do anything lately. Benn’s resurgence has been great but what’s happened to Seguin? Will he ever be better than this?
I actually think Dallas is in reasonable shape compared to some other potential buyers. Barely having $1MM in cap room (per CapFriendly) isn’t much to work with but it’s better than quite a few teams. On top of that, they have an expiring offset contract in Anton Khudobin who’s counting on the books at $2.208MM while he’s in the minors. Most contenders don’t have a veteran roster player that they’d want to move out but Khudobin, who isn’t on the roster at all, is an easy exception. Include him in a trade and all of a sudden, that ups their spending capital past the $3MM mark and if the trading team is retaining up to the maximum of 50%, now we’re talking about a $6MM player. That gives them some options so I don’t see them being handcuffed.
As for Tyler Seguin, I don’t see a big resurgence coming. He’s averaging 0.66 points per game this season. If we expand that timeline back to his average since 2018-19, it’s at 0.66 points per game. This is basically who he is now, a second liner that, if he’s healthy, should average between 50-55 points in a season. That’s still a pretty useful player all things considered. Don’t get me wrong, the contract is lousy and is probably one of the worst in the league. But at the very least, he’s still a more than serviceable player.
Devil Shark: I know it’s early(ish) but… Is 2018 the biggest bust draft this millennium?
By a quick look, there are about three top-tier players out of the whole draft and a few bit players which seems incredibly weak. I’ve seen a lot of debate about the top drafts of the past 20 years… but what about the worst?
Thanks in advance.
The top-end depth of this draft is okay in Rasmus Dahlin, Quinn Hughes, Andrei Svechnikov, and Brady Tkachuk. That’s not bad and all those players are still on an upward trajectory. Perhaps there isn’t a superstar in the mix but those are some quality core players that will have long careers. But there is definitely some fall-off after that as Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Barrett Hayton, and Filip Zadina (all top-six picks) have been depth players at best thus far. There have been some good value picks (Noah Dobson at 11, Joel Farabee at 14, and K’Andre Miller at 22 among the first rounders) but even at that, that’s not that special compared to other seasons.
I think I’d nominate 2012 as a bigger bust of a draft than 2018. Nail Yakupov was a bad pick at first overall. Ryan Murray is no more than a depth defender now, he was the second pick. Alex Galchenyuk’s in the minors after bouncing around the last few years (and is still fifth in scoring from this group). The fourth pick, Griffin Reinhart, never scored a single NHL goal. Now, there have been some good value picks from that class that have given it some depth (Filip Forsberg, Tomas Hertl, and Teuvo Teravainen were all picked in the middle third of the first round) and there are 21 players (and counting) with at least 500 NHL appearances. That helps. But 2018’s group should eventually get to that level within the next six years (where it could be better compared with 2012’s class today) and at least the first couple of picks (Dahlin and Svechnikov) are panning out to be high-end pieces. That just can’t be said for the 2012 group.
More Teams Showing Interest In Patrick Kane
With Vladimir Tarasenko now off the market following his trade earlier this week, Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane is starting to generate more attention. Earlier this week, he was linked to the Stars and the Rangers (with New York likely out of the picture now following the Tarasenko deal). Three more teams have been added to that mix as Scott Powers and Mark Lazerus of The Athletic report (subscription link) that the Hurricanes, Wild, and Golden Knights have confirmed interest in the veteran.
Of course, it must also be noted that Kane might not necessarily have interest in any of those teams. The 34-year-old has a full no-move clause in his deal and if he decides that he’s willing to waive it, it’s expected that the shortlist of options he’d provide Chicago with would be quite small, not unlike what happened with Claude Giroux last season when he okayed a trade from Philadelphia.
Carolina, Minnesota, and Vegas all have a fair amount of cap space which presents an opportunity where they might not need a third team to be involved to retain an extra 25% of the $10.5MM contract, assuming Chicago retains 50% as expected. For the Hurricanes, Max Pacioretty’s season-ending Achilles injury opened up $7MM in LTIR room while the Golden Knights have plenty of room (at least for the time being) with Mark Stone and his $9.5MM eligible for LTIR; he hasn’t been placed there just yet. Meanwhile, Minnesota has banked enough cap space (per CapFriendly) that they could absorb Kane’s contract outright.
What’s notable about these suitors – including Dallas from earlier – is that all of them project to be short-term options only for Kane. With their existing commitments for next season, there’s basically no way they could afford the 16-year veteran at market value. Would Kane want to go somewhere as a strict rental and then hit the open market in July or might his preference be to land with a team that has the intention to keep him for 2023-24 and beyond? That will certainly be a question he ponders over the next couple of weeks before notifying Chicago of his intentions.
Panthers Recall Grigori Denisenko
The Panthers have been carrying an open roster spot since the All-Star break and they now have elected to fill it, announcing (Twitter link) the recall of winger Grigori Denisenko from Charlotte of the AHL.
It is the third recall of the season for the 22-year-old who is viewed as one of the top prospects in the organization. After playing just once with Florida last season, Denisenko has suited up a dozen times for them so far in 2022-23, picking up three assists while logging 11:20 per night in what has largely been a bottom-six role.
Things have gone better for him offensively in the minors as he has nine goals and a dozen helpers in 37 games with the Checkers. However, that’s basically the same rate he produced at last year (18 points in 30 games) and considering he’s in his third season in North America, it’s also reasonable to infer that they were hoping for a bit more progress offensively from Denisenko.
With the recall, the Panthers now have two extra forwards on their active roster; Colin White was the healthy scratch against Colorado on Saturday. It wouldn’t make sense for Florida to recall Denisenko to then turn around and sit him so it stands to reason that someone that suited up against the Avs will be scratched for their next game on Monday against Minnesota.
West Notes: Chychrun, Clarke, Klingberg, Kahkonen
Last night, the Coyotes made waves when they revealed that defenseman Jakob Chychrun was being sat for trade-related reasons. No immediate word came through about the likely destination for the 24-year-old but Sportsnet 590’s Nick Kypreos reports (Twitter link) that the Kings are now viewed as the team that’s likely to land the blueliner which would certainly give their back end a significant boost as they continue to jockey for position in the very tight Pacific Division.
Arizona has long been seeking a package of three first-round picks (players or comparable prospects) and Kypreos notes that defenseman Brandt Clarke is likely to be included should a deal be completed. The 19-year-old was the eighth overall pick in 2021 and made his NHL debut this season, getting into nine games with Los Angeles before being sent back to OHL Barrie where he has been dominant with 26 points in 14 games. If the trade does go through, he’d immediately become their top defensive prospect.
More from the Western Conference:
- The Ducks announced (Twitter link) prior to their game against Vegas that defenseman John Klingberg was scratched due to illness. The veteran has been a bit more productive lately, picking up nine points in 15 games in 2023 but has still underwhelmed with 20 points in 45 games on the season. Klingberg is a pending unrestricted free agent with a $7MM AAV and is widely expected to be traded over the next few weeks.
- After not having James Reimer available due to illness, the Sharks’ goalie depth got tested further today in their victory against Washington. Prior to the third period, the team announced (Twitter link) that Kaapo Kahkonen suffered an injury and he did not return. Washington center Evgeny Kuznetsov’s shoulder made contact with Kahkonen’s head and while the team didn’t provide any specifics about the injury, it could be inferred that he is in concussion protocol.
Injury Notes: Xhekaj, Forsberg, Reimer
One of the best stories of the Montreal Canadiens 2022-23 season so far has been the emergence of rookie defenseman Arber Xhekaj. The undrafted player has taken a winding road to the NHL, and by all accounts impressed in a defensive unit stocked to the brim with rookie blueliners. Not only has he quickly established a reputation as one of the most fearsome, physical young players in the NHL, he has also flashed some more skill and ability with the puck than one might expect from someone with his profile.
It is made all the more disappointing, then, that the excitement his rookie season has inspired could be put on hold. Xhekaj left for the locker room during the Canadiens’ game against the Edmonton Oilers immediately after fighting Oilers defenseman Vincent Desharnais. The Canadiens tweeted that Xhekaj would not return for the third period of the game, and did not add any additional information on the nature of the injury. TVA Sports’ Marc-Andre Perreault did note that it’s a possible shoulder injury.
For some other notes from across the NHL:
- The Nashville Predators have announced that star forward Filip Forsberg is out with an upper-body injury. Per the team, his status is to be considered day-to-day. The loss of Forsberg, even for just a few games, is a significant one for the Predators as he is their leading scorer among forwards with 42 points in 50 games. This is a crucial stretch of their season, as they have games in hand on both the Calgary Flames and Minnesota Wild, the two teams ahead of them for the Western Conference’s second Wild Card spot. If the Predators, who are just four points out of that spot, want to keep pushing for the playoffs they’ll have to hope that this absence is a minor one for Forsberg.
- San Jose Sharks goaltender James Reimer is dealing with a minor illness, according to Bay Area News Group’s Curtis Pashelka. In his absence, Kaapo Kahkonen will take up number-one netminder duties for the Sharks, while Aaron Dell has been recalled to serve as a backup. Per Pashelka, the hope is that Reimer will be back in action in time for the Sharks’ game against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Tuesday. Reimer is a pending unrestricted free agent who has posted an .895 save percentage in 28 games played this season.
Brad Hunt Clears Waivers
02/12/23: Hunt has cleared waivers, according to an announcement from the Avalanche. He has been re-assigned to the Avalanche’s AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, and will likely resume his important role there as the Eagles look to solidify a playoff spot.
He has 20 points in 22 AHL games this season, which still ranks first among all Eagles blueliners despite the fact that Hunt has split time between Denver and Loveland this season.
02/11/23: The Colorado Avalanche placed defenseman Brad Hunt on the waiver wire Saturday, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
Colorado signed Hunt, 34, to a two-year, two-way contract before this season. He’s played in 26 games for the Avs, called into action with a slew of injuries affecting the team. He has three goals and three assists for six points and has been restricted to a bottom-pairing role.
Hunt had played in every game for Colorado after he was recalled in early December. It’s unclear why Colorado has opted to place Hunt on waivers, although the team has made a habit out of waiving players but not sending them down purely to create roster flexibility in advance.
It could also be a sign that Josh Manson, who’s been on injured reserve with a lower-body injury since December 3, will be ready to return soon. There were whispers that he could return on the team’s current road trip, but he’s not expected to play in their final game of the trip today against Florida.