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Oilers Targeting Top-Six Forward Help

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Goaltending has been the central theme for trade speculation around the Oilers this season after their netminders got off to particularly rough starts.  However, things have settled down nicely since then with Stuart Skinner’s play improving considerably since their early-season coaching change and Calvin Pickard faring quite nicely in the backup role.

It appears that their performances have taken off some of the pressure of seeking another netminder.  Instead, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported in the latest TSN Insider Trading segment that GM Ken Holland has turned his focus toward adding a top-six forward.  More specifically, the goal would be to find someone better suited to play alongside Leon Draisaitl on the second line.

Speculatively, they may be looking to replace Warren Foegele on that trio.  The 27-year-old is well on his way toward having a career year offensively (he’s just four points away from matching his previous career high) but he’s a player who has spent most of his career in the bottom six.  Getting him back in that role would certainly deepen Edmonton’s lineup.

LeBrun mentioned a handful of players as possible targets, several of which will be dependent on how their current teams fare in their playoff push in the coming weeks.  The Oilers are quite familiar with Jordan Eberle; LeBrun suggests that the idea of bringing him back to Edmonton has grown in the front office recently.  Ottawa’s Vladimir Tarasenko (who has full trade protection) and Detroit’s Daniel Sprong and David Perron were also floated as possible targets if those respective teams sell by next month’s deadline.  All four players are on expiring contracts and with Edmonton’s long-term cap situation, it would make sense for them to be focusing on rental players if they do try to make a key addition up front.

However, cap space is somewhat limited for the Oilers at the moment.  Even with their current 21-man roster, Edmonton projects to have a little over $2.3MM in cap space at the trade deadline, per CapFriendly.  An injury or two would eat most of that flexibility up.  Sprong is the only one out of that group whose salary would fit into their existing space, even if there was the maximum 50% retention on the other three.

Accordingly, Edmonton may need to send out a roster player to help fit in any top-six acquisition on its salary cap.  Foegele, on an expiring deal himself, could very well be an option as could one of Brett Kulak or Cody Ceci, defensemen who are signed beyond this season (two more years for Kulak, one for Ceci); moving one of them would also open up a spot for Philip Broberg to return to the big club.

For a team with the top-end firepower that the Oilers have, they’re not even in the top ten in NHL scoring, sitting 12th in that regard heading into Thursday’s action.  Meanwhile, only two teams have allowed fewer goals than Edmonton has.  Accordingly, if they believe the structural and goaltending improvements are sustainable, looking to add some more offense may very well be the right approach for Holland to take over the next few weeks.

Capitals Looking To Move Joel Edmundson

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The Capitals have been carrying eight blueliners for a while now since they added Ethan Bear in late December and it appears they’re intent on clearing that logjam.  Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in his latest 32 Thoughts column that they’re looking to move blueliner Joel Edmundson prior to next month’s trade deadline.

The 30-year-old is in his first season with Washington after being acquired from Montreal just minutes before free agency opened up back in July.  However, injuries have limited Edmundson to 32 games so far and when he has been in the lineup, his playing time has been considerably lower than usual.  He’s averaging 16:08 per night, down nearly three and a half minutes from a year ago.  While he has never been a big point producer, Edmundson has just three points so far while also recording 41 blocked shots.

Edmundson is in the final season of a four-year, $14MM contract he signed with the Canadiens back in 2020.  However, Washington is only responsible for half of his $3.5MM AAV with Montreal retaining the other half as part of the trade which saw the Caps part with a third-round pick and a seventh-rounder for his services.

Edmundson has 75 career playoff appearances under his belt including a pair of runs to the Stanley Cup Final in 2019 with St. Louis and 2021 with Montreal.  Between that and a relatively low cap charge, there should be some teams that have interest in a player who could aid their third pairing or at least add some depth for a potential playoff push.  Whether GM Brian MacLellan can get a return that matches or beats the one he gave up in the summer remains to be seen but they should be able to get something for his services and clear up the backlog on their back end.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Kessel, Faulk, Sanderson

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Over the last several weeks, the league has seen long-time NHL veterans such as Zach Parise and Corey Perry find new homes well into the 2023-24 season. One veteran who has seen his name pop up in more chatter over the last couple of days is Phil Kessel.

In a report today, Rick Dhaliwal of The Athletic mentions that the Vancouver Canucks are one of the teams checking in on the three-time Stanley Cup champion. If Kessel can regain form relatively quickly, the Canucks could field one of the deepest teams entering the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, especially after having acquired Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov this year via trade. It is important to note that from 2015-17, Kessel played under the current Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet when Tocchet was an assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2014-2017.

Nevertheless, it has been nearly 10 months since Kessel skated in his last NHL game, coming on April 24th in the Vegas Golden Knights’ opening-round matchup against the Winnipeg Jets in last year’s playoffs. Over the full length of last season, Kessel was relatively successful, scoring 14 goals and 36 assists in all 82 games while averaging a touch under 13 minutes of ice time per night, the lowest mark of his career.

Other snapshots:

  • Per a team announcement, the St.Louis Blues have placed defenseman Justin Faulk on the team’s injured reserve for the second time this calendar year. Once again suffering from a lower-body injury, it does not appear to be connected to the injury that kept Faulk on the injured reserve from January 4th to January 11th. However, unlike his last injury, Faulk’s timeline has been listed as week-to-week.
  • Leaving the team’s bench in the first period of their final game before the All-Star break, TSN’s Bruce Garrioch reports that Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson will not play this weekend, and there is no timeline for his return. Playing in the ’Battle of Ontario’ in a few days, the loss of Sanderson will surely be felt by the team, as the pairing of Sanderson alongside Jakob Chychrun has been one of the best in the league in terms of Expected Goals For and Expected Goals Against per 60 minutes according to MoneyPuck.

Afternoon Notes: Clarke, Turcotte, Acciari, Richard

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The Los Angeles Kings have recalled forward Alex Turcotte and defenseman Brandt Clarke from the minor leagues. This move was largely expected, with both players getting assigned to the AHL on February 1st, ahead of the NHL All-Star Break.

Turcotte appeared in his first two games of the season just before getting sent down. He recorded two points in the latter matchup – representing his first NHL goal and his first NHL assist through 14 career games. He played in two AHL games during the All-Star Break, recording one assist. Clarke also saw his first appearance of the season in January, playing in six games and recording one assist. He appeared in a career-high 18:38 in his most recent NHL outing and managed one goal in the two AHL games he played during the Break.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Pittsburgh Penguins centerman Noel Acciari has been diagnosed with a concussion, per team reporter Seth Rorabaugh with the Tribune-Review. Acciari was on the receiving end of a hit to the head from Winnipeg’s Brenden Dillon, who received a three-game suspension for the hit. It forced Acciari out of the game and will now force him out of the lineup for the team’s upcoming two-game road trip. He’s already missed eight games this season due to a lower-body injury that placed him on injured reserve and an upper-body injury in early-January. He has scored four points in the 39 games he has appeared in.
  • The Boston Bruins have recalled centerman Anthony Richard to the NHL. It’s the first recall of Richard’s stint with Boston, who signed the forward to a one-year, two-way, $775K contract with the club on July 1st. Last season marked the first time Richard has played in more than one NHL game in a season, appearing in 13 outings and scoring five points with the Montreal Canadiens. The 27-year-old has been in the AHL since the 2015-16 season, totaling 463 games and 282 points in the league. That includes his 37 points in 41 games with the Providence Bruins this season.

Mikhail Sergachev Undergoes Surgery For Fractured Tibia And Fibula

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Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev has undergone surgery to stabilize a fractured tibia and fibula in his left leg, per a statement from the team. No formal timetable for a return has been established, though head coach Jon Cooper told reporters including Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times that he will be out for at least the remainder of the regular season. Sergachev suffered the injury in the second period of Tampa Bay’s Wednesday night loss to the New York Rangers. He was making his return from a separate lower-body injury that earned him a place on long-term injured reserve in December.

Sergachev has only appeared in 34 of Tampa’s 50 games this season, though his 19 points rank second among the team’s defensemen in scoring. He’s been clearly valuable to the team when he’s healthy, averaging over 22 minutes a night for the third season in a row. The 25-year-old is in the eighth season of his NHL career, totaling 475 career games and 257 career points. All but four of those games have come with Tampa Bay, who acquired the defenseman in a one-for-one swap with the Montreal Canadiens in 2017, sending Jonathan Drouin the other way.

Tampa Bay has leaned on multiple defensemen to fill in for Sergachev’s absence, with Calvin De Haan the most likely to slot in right away. De Haan has seven points through 45 games this season, playing in just over 16 minutes a night. The Lightning could also have Haydn Fleury as an extra on the NHL roster. Fleury has four points through 12 games this season. He’s also appeared in five AHL games, going without a point and recording six penalty minutes.

Bill Guerin Named GM Of U.S. Four Nations And Olympic Teams

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Minnesota Wild president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Guerin has been named the general manager of Team USA for the upcoming 2025 NHL Four Nations Face-Off as well as the 2026 U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team. The announcement was made official this morning and allows the three-time U.S. Olympian to take some time before selecting his first six players for the Four Nations tournament, which is something the NHL has asked each team to do early this summer.

Guerin is no stranger to donning the American sweater as he suited up for three Olympics in 1998, 2002, and 2006, winning a silver medal in 2002. He was also a member of the 1996 Team USA World Cup team that shocked the hockey world and created one of the most iconic moments in USA hockey history when they beat Team Canada to win the tournament. Guerin is a member of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, having been inducted back in 2013.

Guerin retired from playing in 2010 as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins and then spent eight seasons with the team in management, winning two Stanley Cups. He was then named general manager of the Wild in August 2019 and guided Minnesota to four consecutive playoff appearances before being named president of hockey operations and general manager last July.

Guerin made sweeping changes in Minnesota during his nearly five years with the franchise with his biggest moves being the buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. Now he is tasked with putting together a collection of American players who can bring home gold in two separate tournaments and could be the favourite in both. Team Canada will have arguably the best forward group in both tournaments; however, the Americans will likely boast the most well-rounded team, something that Guerin and his staff will start to look at in the coming months.

Mason Marchment Fined For Interference

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Dallas Stars forward Mason Marchment has been fined $5,000 by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety for interference on Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe. The incident happened in the second period of Toronto’s 5-4 win over Dallas last night. On the play, McCabe picked up the puck in the defensive zone and reversed it up the boards to a teammate and then turned and was hit late by Marchment. No penalty was assessed on the play and a bloodied McCabe skated to the bench under his own power in obvious displeasure with the officials.

The $5,000 fine is the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement and is not the first time Marchment has faced discipline from the league. The 28-year-old was fined $2,000 by the league back in December 2022 under NHL Rule 64 (Diving/Embellishment) after an incident against the Ottawa Senators resulted in a hooking penalty to Derick Brassard. Marchment was hit by the league for embellishing Brassard’s hook to draw a penalty which was the second time he had been disciplined by the league for such an offense. The first embellishment incident occurred the month before and resulted in a warning being given to Marchment.

Despite the discipline, Marchment is having a fantastic year for the Stars as he has registered 16 goals and 23 assists in 50 games. He has been red hot as of late with two goals and four assists in his past five games.

The money from today’s fine will go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

East Notes: Hughes, Toffoli, Svechnikov, Lockwood

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Devils center Jack Hughes will be activated from injured reserve and return to the lineup Thursday against the Flames, he told reporters, including the team’s own Amanda Stein. The 22-year-old had been out since Jan. 5 with an upper-body injury.

Hughes took line rushes with Tyler Toffoli and Alexander Holtz in this morning’s skate, but he may have different linemates against Calgary, said head coach Lindy Ruff. Toffoli is also expected to draw back into the lineup tonight after missing the team’s win over the Avalanche on Tuesday with an illness.

The 2019 first-overall pick continues to be New Jersey’s most dominant offensive force and leads the team with 1.41 points per game. He’s missed over 30% of the Devils’ games with injuries this season, though, although his 30 assists and 45 points still rank second on the team behind leading scorer Jesper Bratt.

A healthy Hughes for the rest of the season is one of the Devils’ biggest keys to clinching back-to-back playoff berths for the first time since 2009 and 2010. They sit five points back of the Red Wings for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference but have two games in hand.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference on Thursday:

  • Hurricanes winger Andrei Svechnikov has been upgraded to being a game-time decision Thursday against the Avalanche, per the team’s Walt Ruff. He has yet to practice in a full-contact jersey since sustaining an upper-body injury on Jan. 21 but has remained day-to-day throughout the recovery process. Injuries have limited the high-flying Russian to 29 games on the year, but he’s managed to push through multiple disruptions to post the first point-per-game season of his career with 11 goals and 19 assists for 30 points.
  • Panthers winger William Lockwood remains out with a concussion and won’t return to the lineup Thursday against the Capitals, head coach Paul Maurice said (via the team’s Jameson Olive). Lockwood, 25, has not played since sustaining the concussion in a collision with Wild netminder Marc-André Fleury in a game on Jan. 20. Lockwood earned a three-game suspension on the play, which has long since been satisfied. He has a lone assist in 23 games with the Panthers this season, his first in Florida.

Islanders To Activate Casey Cizikas, Reassign Kyle MacLean

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The Islanders will activate center Casey Cizikas from long-term injured reserve ahead of tonight’s game against the Lightning, as implied by his full participation in Thursday’s morning skate (via Newsday’s Andrew Gross). Center Kyle MacLean has been returned to AHL Bridgeport to open a roster spot.

Cizikas, 32, is still listed as a game-time decision after being upgraded Wednesday night. However, with Hudson Fasching still out with a lower-body injury, the Islanders don’t have an extra healthy forward on the roster and would need to dress seven defensemen if Cizikas is a late scratch.

As expected, Cizikas will return to his long-time home on the team’s fourth line between Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck. Now in his 13th season with the team, Cizikas has five goals and 11 points in 39 contests while averaging 13:30 per game. He remains under contract until 2027 with a $2.5MM cap hit.

Meanwhile, the 24-year-old MacLean returns to Bridgeport on a more permanent basis after being ferried up and down in Cizikas’ absence. The son of Isles assistant coach John MacLean scored his first NHL goal Monday night against the Maple Leafs, his only point during the first six games of his NHL career.

MacLean saw limited action under new head coach Patrick Roy, averaging 8:11 per game. He struggled in the faceoff dot, winning 14 out of 44 draws, and recorded a 47.8% Corsi share at even strength.

The New Jersey native has six goals and 19 points in 38 games with Bridgeport this season, on pace for AHL career-highs. He will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer upon completion of a one-year, two-way contract worth $800K in the NHL and $82.5K in the AHL.

Blues Recall Calle Rosén

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The Blues recalled defenseman Calle Rosén from AHL Springfield on Thursday, per a team release.

Rosén, who turned 30 earlier this month, joins the Blues with Justin Faulk and Scott Perunovich out of the lineup with lower-body injuries. The recall gives them seven healthy defensemen on the active roster in case their two injured defenders can’t re-join the team by Saturday’s game against the Sabres, their first after the All-Star break.

This is Rosén’s first recall since clearing waivers during training camp and heading to the minors in October. He’s scored twice and added 23 assists – which ranks first among Springfield defensemen – in 44 games, along with a +3 rating.

23-year-old right-shot defenseman Matthew Kessel drew into the lineup in 14 straight games before the break, averaging 17:17 per contest. He didn’t get on the scoresheet, however, and despite his even rating, his 43.1% Corsi share at even strength left something to be desired. If the Blues opt to replace Kessel with Rosén in the lineup, or if one of Faulk or Perunovich is ready to return, Kessel would not need waivers to return to Springfield.

After playing in a career-high 49 NHL games last season, it’s surprising it took until February for Rosén to see his first recall of 2023-24. He was quietly one of the best depth defenders in the league, posting eight goals and 10 assists for 18 points with a +19 rating despite logging only 15:36 per game. His 46.8% Corsi share at even strength was third among Blues defensemen behind Torey Krug and Tyler Tucker, and his expected +2.5 rating was second on the entire team behind depth winger Josh Leivo.

The Blues’ roster size is now at the 23-player maximum after Rosén’s recall. He is in the second season of a two-year, $1.525MM extension signed in 2022 that carries a $762.5K cap hit. A pending UFA, Rosén can return to Springfield without clearing waivers if he plays less than 10 games and stays on the roster for less than 30 days.

Joining the league as an undrafted free agent signed by the Maple Leafs in 2017, Rosén has since appeared in 87 games across five seasons for Toronto, Colorado and St. Louis. He’s played more of a role since coming to St. Louis in 2021, recording 10 goals and 25 points in 67 appearances.

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