Jake Dotchin, Valentin Zykov Placed On Waivers
The roster freeze is over, and teams can use waivers once again to try and move players to the minor leagues. The Anaheim Ducks and Edmonton Oilers have done so, placing defenseman Jake Dotchin and forward Valentin Zykov there. Both players found themselves on waivers earlier this year, with Dotchin seeing his contract terminated by the Tampa Bay Lightning and Zykov claimed from the Carolina Hurricanes. According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Michal Cajkovsky and Joonas Lyytinen have also been placed on unconditional waivers by the Hurricanes and Nashville Predators respectively.
Dotchin, 24, is still in a grievance over how his deal was terminated earlier this year when the Lightning found him in “material breach of contract” when he showed up to camp out of shape. Though he was cut loose from the Tampa Bay organization, the young defenseman found a new team in Anaheim and worked hard to get back to the NHL level. He has played 16 games for the Ducks, though saw the end of the bench for much of his last one, playing fewer than seven minutes in a loss to San Jose.
The physical—and sometimes dangerous—Dotchin looked like a promising asset for Tampa Bay just a few years ago, when he recorded 11 points in 35 games down the stretch in 2017. Right-handed, he seemed like a perfect complement to some of the more skilled defenders on the Lightning blue line and was extremely inexpensive. Even the draft capital invested in him was minuscule, as the Lightning had found Dotchin in the 2012 sixth round after just a single year of junior hockey. He could be claimed by another team, but after inconsistent play and the recent trouble, some organizations may look the other way.
Zykov on the other hand just can’t seem to make good on his limited opportunities in the NHL. Claimed by the Oilers to give them some more offense on the wing, the 23-year old forward didn’t score a single point during his five-game stint and now finds himself in limbo. The Hurricanes could reclaim the second round pick, and if they are the only team that tries they would be allowed to immediately move him to the minor leagues. If not, Edmonton might try to build up his confidence and performance at the minor league level before giving him another opportunity.
Arizona Coyotes Trade Trevor Murphy To Anaheim Ducks
The Arizona Coyotes have completed a minor trade, sending Trevor Murphy to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Giovanni Fiore. Both players were playing in the AHL and will likely remain in the minor leagues for the time being.
Murphy, a 23-year old defenseman, made his NHL debut last season and recorded three points in eight games for the Coyotes. Undrafted, Murphy signed out of the OHL in 2015 with the Nashville Predators and quickly became a reliable offensive threat at the minor league level. The undersized blue liner was included in a deadline day deal last season that sent him to Arizona, where he has continued to put up points in the AHL. With the Ducks also putting Jake Dotchin on waivers today, the San Diego Gulls could get a big improvement on the back end.
Fiore has even less experience under his belt, and is used to being traded. The 22-year old winger played for four different teams in the QMJHL over his junior career, before signing his entry-level contract in the spring of 2017. He made his NHL debut last season as well, but didn’t see the ice again after his first and only game. Fiore has 11 points in 23 games for the Gulls this season, and will give a little more minor league depth up front for the Tucson Roadrunners.
Murphy is scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer, while Fiore still has another year on that three-year entry-level contract.
Isac Lundestrom Loaned To Team Sweden
Though he wasn’t included on the preliminary roster for Sweden , Isac Lundestrom is heading to the World Juniors. According to Elliott Teaford of the OC Register, the Anaheim Ducks have loaned Lundestrom to Team Sweden for the upcoming tournament, which beings on December 26th. Lundestrom had been playing in the AHL after suiting up 15 times with the Ducks earlier this year.
Lundestrom’s addition is a huge step towards the gold medal for Sweden, who already had a rock solid defense corps but were inexperienced up front. The 19-year old Ducks prospect will bring some NHL experience along with a long history of international competition. He was part of the Swedish team that barely lost to Canada in the gold medal game a year ago, and previously had won a U17 bronze medal and U18 silver medal in the same year. Lundestrom will be leaned on heavily to drive the play in the offensive zone for his country, just as he was at times this season in Anaheim and San Diego.
Selected 23rd overall in 2018 he surprised many by making the Ducks out of camp as an 18-year old, and was even given the chance to play at center during certain games. That’s high praise for a player who many believed needed several years of seasoning, but perhaps shouldn’t have been shocking given his experience. Lundestrom had already completed two full seasons in the SHL before being drafted, and even got a taste of the men’s professional league during the 2015-16 season. While his absolute ceiling is still a ways off, his polish so far has been spectacular for a player of his age. The World Juniors will be just another chapter in his development, and one which the Ducks hope will take him to another level offensively.
Anaheim Ducks Claim Goaltender Chad Johnson
Anaheim Ducks goaltender Ryan Miller suffered an injury on the weekend, and the team has quickly made a move to fill his role behind starter John Gibson. The Ducks today claimed Chad Johnson off waivers from the St. Louis Blues, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Miller is expected to be out around six weeks, giving Johnson the opportunity to show that he can still be an effective goaltender in the NHL.
While Johnson brings a good amount of NHL experience to Anaheim, the move does come with a substantial amount of downside for the Ducks. The team is already using long-term injured reserve in order to stay below the salary cap, and will take on Johnson’s entire $1.75MM contract by claiming him. That amount can’t even be fully buried in the minor leagues, meaning he’ll remain on their books even after Miller returns unless someone else claims him at that point. He also represents the team’s 50th contract, putting them at the limit and restricting any other potential moves they can make. The Ducks now can’t make another waiver claim without removing a contract, nor can they sign a college or European free agent. That problem can be fixed later on with a trade, but it does limit their flexibility for the time being.
All that in mind, the team certainly needed to find an answer in net. While Gibson is an outstanding starter, he does have a history of injury and the team didn’t have much NHL experience behind him. Jared Coreau is up with the team at the moment, and has just 21 mostly unsuccessful appearances under his belt. Johnson has played in 183 NHL games, starting his career back in 2009-10 with the New York Rangers.
Still, it’s been some time since Johnson was considered a premier backup in the league. Last season for the Buffalo Sabres he recorded a 10-16-3 record while posting a .891 save percentage, and those numbers have only gotten worse this year in St. Louis. While there may be reason to believe he can turn things around in Anaheim, the 32-year old is certainly no guarantee. If he does struggle with the Ducks, it seems unlikely that he would be claimed again on waivers, meaning Anaheim might be stuck with his contract for the entire season.
Ducks Acquire Adam Cracknell From Maple Leafs For Steven Oleksy
The Ducks and Maple Leafs have completed a swap of veteran depth players. Anaheim has acquired center Adam Cracknell from Toronto in exchange for defenseman Steven Oleksy. Both teams have announced the deal.
Cracknell signed with Toronto early in free agency, inking a one-year, one-way contract worth $650K. He spent most of last year in the minors with the affiliates of the Rangers and Canadiens and has spent all of this season with the AHL Marlies. He has fared well in his limited action, collecting three goals and seven assists in 14 games. However, with the recent return of Sam Gagner from Vancouver and the acquisitions of Morgan Klimchuk and Michael Carcone, Toronto had a surplus of veteran AHL forwards to deal from as they’ve done here. The 33-year-old is a veteran of 208 career NHL games and could get a look with the Ducks at some point this season on their fourth line.
The Ducks found themselves in a similar situation when it came to Oleksy. Veterans Luke Schenn and Andrej Sustr have both spent considerable time with their AHL affiliate in San Diego and as a result, he was dropping down their depth chart. In 15 games with the Gulls this season, he has a pair of assists along with 36 penalty minutes. The 32-year-old also has 73 career games of NHL experience under his belt but will likely serve as a veteran depth player for the Marlies who he rejoins after spending part of the 2016-17 season with them. Oleksy is in the second and final season of a two-year, one-way contract that also pays $650K and will be an unrestricted free agent in July.
In addition to this trade, the two sides also completed a minor league swap with Anaheim acquiring goaltender Jeff Glass from Toronto in exchange for future considerations. Glass has struggled with the Marlies this season, posting a 4.31 GAA with a .849 SV% in ten games. He made his NHL debut last year, getting into 15 games with Chicago. The 33-year-old is on a minor league deal and will not count against Anaheim’s 50 contracts.
Ducks Sign GM Bob Murray To A Two-Year Extension
Bob Murray will be sticking around in Anaheim for a few more years as the team announced that they have given their GM a two-year contract extension. His current deal runs through the 2019-20 season so this ensures that he will be in the fold through the 2021-22 campaign. Ducks CEO Michael Schulman released the following statement:
“Bob has created a winning organization with his commitment and expertise. We are very pleased to be in a position where expectations are high virtually every season, thanks in large part to Bob and his staff. We passionately share a common goal – bringing another Stanley Cup to Orange County.”
Murray first joined the team in 2005 as their senior vice-president of hockey operations. In November of 2008, he was promoted to the GM role, taking over from Brian Burke. Over that span, Anaheim has made the postseason eight out of a possible ten times while he was named GM of the Year back in the 2013-14 season.
The Ducks have done a strong job when it comes to drafting and developing players in Murray’s tenure; nine of their top twelve scorers this season were either drafted by the team or signed as an undrafted free agent so it’s certainly understandable that they’ve decided to keep the person largely responsible for that in the fold.
One area that will need to be addressed in the very near future is their salary cap situation. Anaheim has nearly $74MM committed for next season already with just 16 players signed. Even if the salary cap jumps to roughly $83MM as has been speculated, that doesn’t leave them a lot of wiggle room to re-sign pending UFA winger Jakob Silfverberg, re-sign or replace backup goalie Ryan Miller, and add to their team. With this extension, Murray now knows he has the full backing of the organization to navigate through this and continue to shape their roster.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report that the Ducks were working on an extension with Murray.
Carolina Hurricanes Still Pursuing Top-Six Forward
The Carolina Hurricanes’ offense was dealt another blow today when Jordan Staal was diagnosed with a concussion, ruling him out for at least a few days if not longer. Staal hasn’t been a dominant scoring presence, but was still logging big minutes as a reliable two-way center that could play in all situations. What Carolina has been searching for all season—and likely even longer than that—has been a top-six forward that can really change the look of their group and provide some instant offense. Tonight, the panel of Insider Trading on TSN focused on the Hurricanes and Pierre LeBrun noted that the team is still desperately trying to upgrade their forward group:
Carolina, which really, really, really wanted to get in on William Nylander but never really got that shot, they want a top-six forward ASAP. They’ve got the surplus on defense to make it happen.
The Hurricanes never really got that shot at Nylander because the Toronto Maple Leafs ended up signing their young forward at the last minute, but reports had surfaced for weeks that GM Don Waddell had made it clear to them he was interested. That comes as no surprise, given Carolina’s obvious need for a goal scoring talent to move into the group with Sebastian Aho and company if they want to really make a run at the postseason.
Carolina of course sent Jeff Skinner and Elias Lindholm packing in the offseason in two separate trades, bringing back just Micheal Ferland as a forward option. While Ferland has been as good as anyone could have hoped, he’s also missed time with a concussion and doesn’t have the top end potential like a player of Nylander’s caliber. That’s what the Hurricanes seem to be looking for, but whether they’ll get it or not is still to be seen.
A team connected to them by the TSN panel is the Anaheim Ducks, who according to Darren Dreger are looking for a left-handed shot defenseman. The Ducks recently sent away exactly that in Marcus Pettersson, but perhaps they felt there was a need for an upgrade even before trading him for Daniel Sprong. Even with Noah Hanifin now in Calgary, the Hurricanes still have an excess of left-handed options, as Jake Bean looks close to ready to compete at the NHL level. Jaccob Slavin, Calvin de Haan and Haydn Fleury are the other three lefties on the roster, though all three hold plenty of trade value.
There is little reason to think that Anaheim would be the only team interested in Carolina’s defense, especially as the trade deadline approaches. If they do decide to make one of their top names available, there should be plenty of offensive options on the table.
No Timetable For Patrick Eaves’ Return
The Anaheim Ducks haven’t had much luck when it comes to injuries this season, and today issued updates on a pair of players. Cam Fowler, who hasn’t played since November 12th and needed surgery to correct a complex facial fracture, is scheduled for a mid-January return if he experiences no setbacks. Patrick Eaves, who had been out with back spasms, was apparently suffering them because of a broken rib. He has no timetable for a return.
Eaves, 34, has now played just seven games in the NHL since signing his three-year, $9.45MM contract extension in the summer of 2017. Robbed of almost the entire 2017-18 season after he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, he’s now dealt with several injuries again this year and can’t seem to stay on the ice. The incredible breakout in 2016-17 that ended with 32 goals looks like it won’t be matched anytime soon, as he has just a single tally in those seven games since the start of last season.
That’s a real problem for the Ducks, who can’t find much in the way of consistent scoring. Eaves was brought back to offer a consistent two-way presence to lengthen out the lineup alongside players like Ondrej Kase and Adam Henrique, but has turned into dead money against the cap. Anaheim can and has placed his contract on long-term injured reserve at times to get some relief, but the in-and-out nature of status will keep them from doing much with that added flexibility.
For now, the Ducks will have to hope someone like Daniel Sprong, who was acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins this week to provide some offense, can fill in for Eaves on the powerplay and in the top-nine. That’s a substantial gamble from a team that was expecting to compete for the playoffs this season.
Daniel Sprong Traded To Anaheim Ducks
The Pittsburgh Penguins didn’t wait long to make another move to shake up their roster, this time trading away Daniel Sprong to the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks will send defenseman Marcus Pettersson in return, in another case of a one-for-one deal.
Like Josh Leivo, who earlier today was traded by the Toronto Maple Leafs, Sprong hasn’t been able to find a fit in Pittsburgh despite his obvious offensive potential. Selected in the second round of the 2015 draft, the sensational QMJHL scorer has just nine points in 42 NHL games and was without a goal during his 16 contests this year. Some may say that he rarely looked deserving of a bigger opportunity while in Pittsburgh, but he certainly did in the minor leagues where he recorded 65 points in 65 games last season as a rookie. Still, it was obvious that he wasn’t going to find success with the Penguins in the immediate future, something that the team is desperately chasing while Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel are still in their prime Cup-contending years.
For Anaheim, there’s little reason to believe that an opportunity won’t be there for Sprong to thrive. The team has been struggling to find consistent offensive presences since Corey Perry and Ryan Kesler started to decline, and still had depth on defense to deal from. Pettersson, while a competent player that looks destined for a long NHL career, was unlikely to supplant the Ducks other star defensemen like Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm, Josh Manson or Brandon Montour. With others like Jacob Larsson and Joshua Mahura pushing for playing time as well, there was an obvious fit for these two teams to try and help each other.
Penguins GM Jim Rutherford told media after the trade that Pettersson could have a Brian Dumoulin-like affect for the team in the future, and that seems to be the ceiling for the young defenseman. Selected 38th overall in 2014, Pettersson has grown into a capable defender with a long reach, but has still yet to show much offensive upside that could take him to the next level of production. That’s not to say he needs to supply any offense to be productive—especially in Pittsburgh where they already have plenty of firepower—but he was the obvious choice to send out for Anaheim if they were looking to trade from their position of strength.
That lack of offense actually will likely benefit the Penguins, given that Pettersson is up for a new contract after this season. The pending restricted free agent has just 10 points in 49 games, and almost assuredly will be an inexpensive option for Pittsburgh to plug in next season. The team already has five defensemen signed to contracts that total more than $20MM, meaning a player like Pettersson with a reasonable cap hit is necessary. Sprong meanwhile is signed for another season at just a $750K cap hit, giving Anaheim plenty of time to see if they feel he can be a core piece before having to pay him anything substantial.
Edmonton Has No Interest In Moving Out of Pacific Division
With the expected approval on Tuesday for the Seattle expansion franchise at the board of governor’s meeting, the next question that will have to be determined is how to re-align the Western Conference as Seattle will obviously move into the Pacific Division, giving them nine teams, while the Central Division would have just seven. While there has been talk about moving the Arizona Coyotes over to the Central Division, many feel the team should stay where it is as they have short rivalry trips to Las Vegas and Los Angeles/Anaheim.
Another popular suggestion is to move both the Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary Flames together to the Central Division and sending the Colorado Avalanche back to the Pacific Division. However, Terry Jones of The Edmonton Sun writes that option isn’t very popular in Edmonton.
“We want to stay in the Pacific. And we’re pretty strong about it,” insists Bob Nicholson, vice chairman and CEO of the Oilers Entertainment Group. “Seattle is going to come into the league and when they do come in, we definitely do not want to move. We feel the rivalries are too strong for the NHL to do that to our franchise.”
The two teams have built rivalries in the Pacific, including one between the Flames and the Vancouver Canucks, while Edmonton has built some significant rivalries with some of the California teams, most specifically with recent playoff matchups with the Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks. Nicholson said the team intends to appeal to the NHL to allow the Oilers as well as the rival Flames to stay in the Pacific Division.
“I just believe we’ve been in the league a long time now and hopefully the league will respect our rivalries, especially the Calgary and Vancouver rivalries,” said Nicholson.
Of course, there are new potential rivalries between both Calgary and Edmonton with a team such as the Winnipeg Jets and even the Minnesota Wild. Regardless, Nicholson has a strong feeling the league will accept the wishes of Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver.
“I’m relatively confident from the unofficial conversations that have gone on, so far,” Nicholson said. “I’m expecting it to be simple and that it will be Arizona that would move into the Central. If it gets more complicated than that, I think there would be big debates. We expect to stay where we are. I would think it would be Arizona that would move.”