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Pacific Notes: Oilers Offseason, Green, Hughes, Gretzky

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The Edmonton Oilers are still trying to put together a impact top-six. The team seems to have formed a new No. 2 line between Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Kailer Yamamoto, but the team is still trying to find partners for their No. 1 line centered around Connor McDavid.

The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell (subscription required) writes that throughout his career McDavid has always had a physical winger with him he wonders if that is even necessary any more. While the team is limited in its current options, this summer is likely to be a different story. The scribe writes that general manager Ken Holland will be looking to spend some money this offseason with names such as Taylor Hall and perhaps a more likely candidate could be Mike Hoffman, who might be the perfect linemate for McDavid if the two were paired together.

  • While Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning said recently that the team will wait until the summer to discuss a possible contract extension with head coach Travis Green, The Athletic’s Rick Dhaliwal (subscription required) writes that the team needs to lock up Green, considering the work he has put in over the last few years and how the team currently sits in first place in the Pacific Division. Of course, with four teams just one point behind them, Green’s extension could be tied with the team making the playoffs (especially considering the team traded their first-round pick to Tampa Bay to get J.T. Miller this summer). However, the scribe points out that the team needs Green locked up, not dealing with a new coach next season.
  • In a seperate tweet, Dhaliwal notes that Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes finds himself in a good position for an extension on July 1. Agent Pat Brisson said they will deal with it as they get closer to July 1. Hughes has had an impressive rookie year, which includes a trip to the All-Star game and could score quite an extension if Benning is willing. “We can start talking with Canucks on July 1st,” said Brisson. “We will cross that bridge when we get there. He is sure building a case as a strong asset. We will see how it goes.”
  • As rumored, Pacific Division’s head coach Rick Tocchet, who agreed to take over for fired Gerard Gallant at the All-Star game today, has got NHL icon Wayne Gretzky to serve behind his bench as an assistant coach, according to The Athletic’s Craig Morgan. Gretzky served as head coach of the Coyotes from 2005 to 2009,

Trade Deadline Primer: Arizona Coyotes

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With the trade deadline just a little more than a month away, we will be taking a closer look at the situation for each team over the coming weeks.  Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs?  Next up is a look at the Arizona Coyotes.

Coyotes GM John Chayka has made a pair of big swings at upgrading his offense with the acquisition of Phil Kessel over the summer and the addition of Taylor Hall last month.  The moves haven’t paid significant dividends in that regard but at the same time, Arizona is still right in the thick of things in the very tight Pacific Division despite both of their goaltenders dealing with injuries this season.  However, they moved several prospects and draft picks in those moves which will limit the chips that Chayka has to use to try to add more to his roster over the next month.

Record

26-20-5, tied for second in the Pacific Division

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$2.875MM in a full-season cap hit (using LTIR), 0/3 used salary cap retention slots, 45/50 contracts per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2020: ARI 2nd, ARI 4th, ARI 5th, ARI 6th, ARI 7th
2021: ARI 1st*, ARI 2nd*, ARI 3rd*, ANA 4th, PIT 4th, ARI 5th, ARI 6th, ARI 7th

*- Arizona is guaranteed to lose at least their third-round pick to New Jersey as part of the Hall deal.  The pick becomes a second-round selection if Arizona winds a round in this postseason or Hall re-signs with the Coyotes.  It would upgrade to a first-round pick if they win a round and Hall re-signs.

Trade Chips

With basically their top three picks encumbered for next season pending the completion of the Hall trade and missing two of their top three selections this season, Arizona may be limited in terms of shopping at the higher end of the market, especially since they’re not likely going to be willing to part with top prospects like Barrett Hayton or Victor Soderstrom.

One veteran player to keep an eye on though may be goaltender Antti Raanta.  Over his time with the Coyotes, he has played relatively well for the most part (though his last outing was a rough one) but staying healthy has been a concern.  That eventually led to the acquisition of Darcy Kuemper who earned himself a contract extension this season as he played his way into the number one role.  All of a sudden, that leaves Raanta and his $4.25MM AAV as an expensive insurance policy.  With several teams looking for a short-term upgrade at the backup position, the 30-year-old could be of interest.  Moving Raanta would also open up a bit more salary cap flexibility which could be notable with them being open to a bonus overage penalty next year as a result of being in LTIR.

Beyond him, expect their trade chips to be late-round picks or younger players that are on the fringes of being worth an NHL look that other teams will be able to take a longer look at down the stretch.

Five Players To Watch For: F Michael Bunting, F Brayden Burke, D Kyle Capobianco, F Lane Pederson, G Antti Raanta

Team Needs

1) Defensive Depth – Right now, Arizona’s depth options are Jordan Oesterle, Ilya Lyubushkin, and Kyle Capobianco.  With the three can hold their own on the third pairing if need be, it’s an area that can certainly be upgraded on.  Landing a capable third pairing defender would be ideal but even if they don’t do that, some extra depth to hedge in case of injuries would be worth looking into.

2) Scoring Help – Despite adding Hall and Kessel, their offense has only gone up by a quarter goal per game from last season.  Nick Schmaltz is sitting at just seven goals this season while Derek Stepan is at eight; those are their top-paid forwards after Kessel.  Another impact scorer would be ideal although, with their limited cap space, they may have to settle for targeting a complementary piece that fits in better with some of their scuffling forwards.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Minor Transactions: 01/19/20

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Following last night’s results, each of the top five teams in the Pacific Division are within one point of each other, top to bottom. The Vancouver Canucks stand alone in first place with 58 points, but with each of the following four teams sitting at 57. It is the first time since 1978 that the top five teams in an NHL division have all been separated by such a small margin after January 1. Of course, not all point totals are created equal; Vancouver and Edmonton have played just 49 games, while Calgary has 50 games played and Vegas and Arizona have 51. As such, the teams’ point percentages differ more than their total points, especially in the case of the Canucks versus the Knights and Coyotes. Nonetheless, it is still a tight division, and one that has been on the rise this season to now occupy both Western Conference wild card spots. The Central Division’s top three – St. Louis, Colorado, and Dallas – may all have better records than any team in the Pacific, but the rest of their division has been overtaken. The 57/58-point range at this point in the year is nothing to criticize either. There are currently eleven teams with 57 or 58 points, all of whom are in playoff positions or just outside. So while the likes of Washington, Boston, and St. Louis might make the high fifties look light, it is actually a great pace for a playoff hopeful. With such a tight postseason picture right now in both conferences, though specifically the Pacific Division, every game counts and every little move made impacts those games. Keep an eye on all of today’s transactions here, as you never know what minor move could shift a season:

  • Many of “today’s” minor transactions occurred late last night, as 17 different teams are entering their bye week and many shuffled their young players to minors once their final game came to an end. The Ottawa Senators are one such example. The team reassigned young forwards Drake Batherson, Filip Chlapik, and Rudolfs Balcers to AHL Belleville following last night’s win.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs were in a similar boat, sending Adam Brooks and Tim Liljegren back to the AHL’s Marlies following last night’s game, which was also Liljegren’s NHL debut. Brooks has played in seven games with the Maple Leafs so far in his rookie season.
  • The Arizona Coyotes also head on bye, and have demoted goalie Adin Hill, defenseman Kyle Capobianco, and forward Michael Chaput to the Tuscon Roadrunners. Hill has played a key role of late for the ‘Yotes, but the team hopes to have Darcy Kuemper and Antti Raanta at full strength on the other side of this time off.
  • The St. Louis Blues made just one minor move before hitting their bye, assigning young defenseman Niko Mikkola to the San Antonio Rampage. Mikkola has looked good on the ice if not on the score sheet in five games with the Blues this season.
  • Also making just a single demotion before the bye were the Dallas Stars, who sent forward Joel Kiviranta to AHL Texas. Kiviranta is still looking for his first NHL point after seeing limited ice time in seven NHL games and will benefit from an increased role in the minors for a while.
  • Other bye week moves being reported by CapFriendly include the Los Angeles Kings sending forwards Matt Luff and Jaret Anderson-Dolan to the Ontario Reign, the San Jose Sharks shifting Joachim Blichfeld, Joel Kellman, and Antti Suomela to the AHL Barracuda locker room, and the Montreal Canadiens reassigning veteran Dale Weise to the Laval Rocket.
  • This morning, the Buffalo Sabres announced their own flurry of moves, reassigning forwards Rasmus Asplund and Scott Wilson and defenseman Lawrence Pilut to the AHL’s Rochester Americans. While Pilut and Wilson have seen limited action, Asplund’s demotion is a bit surprising. Of every player sent down so far for their team’s bye week, none have played as many NHL games this season as Asplund’s 28. Yet, apparently the Sabres do not feel that he has earned the week off.
  • The Chicago Blackhawks announced they have assigned forward Dylan Sikura to the Rockford Ice Hogs of the AHL. The 24-year-old had a more successful run with Chicago this year as he scored his first NHL goal and three points in nine games. He’ll continue to work on his game in Rockford where he has nine goals and 16 points in 22 games.
  • The New Jersey Devils announced they have assigned three players to their AHL affiliate, the Binghamton Devils, including goaltender Cory Schneider and forwards Michael McLeod and Jesper Boqvist. It will be Boqvist’s first trip to the AHL as he made the New Jersey squad directly out of Sweden.
  • The Edmonton Oilers announced they are sending injured defenseman Matt Benning to the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL on a conditioning stint. The 25-year-old blueliner has been out with a head injury since Dec. 1. The team has been extra cautious with Benning as its his second head injury this season. With the Oilers off until Jan. 29, Benning’s best chance of getting game experience is with the Condors, who have four games coming up this week. Benning has appeared in just 24 games this season, averaging just 13:42 of ice time.

Antti Raanta Expected To Start Saturday

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  • Coyotes goaltender Antti Raanta is expected to get the start on Saturday, notes Craig Morgan of The Athletic (Twitter link). He returned from a lower-body injury last week only to sustain another injury in his first game back.  Raanta’s inability to stay healthy has hurt Arizona over the last few seasons and with Darcy Kuemper also out of action, the timing for this latest one was certainly unfortunate.  Fortunately for them, at least this one didn’t keep him out for long.

Minor Transactions: 01/17/20

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Alex Ovechkin stole the show on a busy night for the NHL with his 25th career hat trick and 687th, 688th and 689th career goals. That takes him within one of Mario Lemieux who sits as the barrier for the top-10 all-time, a mark the Washington Capitals superstar seems ready to blow past over the last part of the season. Ovechkin has recorded at least 30 goals in each of his 15 seasons and is showing barely any signs of slowing down. As the rest of the league marvels at the Great Eight, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves:

  • After just a day with the NHL club, Dan Vladar is on his way back to the minors. The Boston Bruins have sent Vladar to the AHL while recalling Maxime Lagace under emergency conditions, who at least has a bit of NHL experience.
  • Yakov Trenin, Alexandre Carrier and Jarred Tinordi have all been sent to the AHL by the Nashville Predators, who have one final game tomorrow evening before a long break. The trio will continue to get playing time in the minor leagues for the time being.
  • With their blue line taking another beating lately, the Winnipeg Jets have recalled Cameron Schilling from the AHL. The 31-year old defenseman has just ten games of NHL experience but has been a solid player in the minor leagues for nearly a decade.
  • Ivan Prosvetov has been returned to the minor leagues by the Arizona Coyotes, who recalled Kyle Capobianco with the extra roster spot. Goaltending has been an interesting position for the Coyotes all season, often carrying more than two on the roster.
  • Otto Koivula has been assigned to the AHL by the New York Islanders, after playing his seventh game of the season earlier this week. The 21-year old is still looking for his first NHL point.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have sent Alexander Volkov back to the minor leagues, where he has spent the majority of the season. The 22-year old forward has flashed moments of brilliance in the NHL, but still has plenty of work to do to become a regular.

David Rittich Added To All-Star Game

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Another goaltender has been forced to pull out of the All-Star festivities planned for later this month, as Darcy Kuemper of the Arizona Coyotes will not be participating due to injury. In his place, David Rittich of the Calgary Flames will join the Pacific Division squad. No word yet on who will replace Gerard Gallant as head coach of the team, who was fired earlier today.

Kuemper hasn’t played since December 19th, and his recovery is paramount to the Coyotes’ long-term success. The goaltender is out with a lower-body injury that quickly brought speculation that the All-Star game would be out of the question.

His absence however means that the Coyotes will not have a representative at the game, unless someone else is put in as a replacement over the next few days.

Minor Transactions: 01/15/20

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You never know what’s going to happen in the NHL as the Vegas Golden Knights proved this morning. The team fired head coach Gerard Gallant just before they take on the Ottawa Senators tomorrow night. The whole league will be watching that game to see how Peter DeBoer changes things, but tonight they have some interesting games to view as well. The Montreal Canadiens and Chicago Blackhawks are both markets that some have suggested coaching changes in, but they’ll try to grab a win tonight to continue their individual streaks. Later, the St. Louis Blues welcome in the Philadelphia Flyers for a chance to extend their Western Conference lead even further. As those teams and the rest of the league prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves.

  • The Florida Panthers have recalled Sam Montembeault under emergency conditions, a quick trip back after only being sent back on Monday. Montembault’s presence suggests that Sergei Bobrovsky still isn’t ready to return for the Panthers, after being called “questionable” earlier this week.
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets are starting to get healthy, meaning the roster needs some cleaning up. After activating both Cam Atkinson and Andrew Peeke today from injured reserve, the team has assigned Peeke, Gabriel Carlsson, Matiss Kivlenieks and Ryan MacInnis to the AHL. Veini Vehvilainen has been recalled.
  • The Arizona Coyotes have called up Michael Chaput from the minor leagues, not for the first time this season. Chaput hasn’t played a game yet in the NHL, but has been recalled on three different occasions as injury insurance.
  • Brian Lashoff is on his way back to the minor leagues, assigned to the Grand Rapids Griffins by the Detroit Red Wings. The 29-year old has split time between the two teams, but isn’t much more than an injury replacement at this point in his career.

Snapshots: Kuemper, Fitzgerald, Pateryn

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It looks like the Arizona Coyotes will be without starting goaltender Darcy Kuemper for a while longer. Despite traveling with the team, giving Coyotes fans some hope that he was close to returning, Richard Morin of the Arizona Republic revealed that Kuemper has been ruled out until before the All-Star break.

While Kuemper had an impressive season last year, challenging for the starters’ role then, the 29-year-old netminder has been even better this year, posting a 2.17 GAA and a .929 save percentage in 25 games. However, he suffered a lower-body injury on Dec. 19 and now, at best, isn’t likely to return until Jan. 29. Unfortunately, Antti Raanta has also been out, leaving the team with Adin Hill as its starting goaltender for the time being.

  • While the New Jersey Devils intend to undergo a thorough search for a new general manager sometime in the near future, NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti wonders whether the team already has that man in new interim general manager Tom Fitzgerald. The scribe believes that Fitzgerald is considered to be a future GM and if he can have a quality trade deadline, he could be the top candidate to take the job permanently.
  • Minnesota Wild defenseman Greg Pateryn made his season debut today after missing the first 44 games of the season after having bilateral core muscle surgery, according to Star Tribune’s Sarah McLellan. Pateryn has struggled in his rehab, however, as he was sent to Iowa on a conditioning stint on Dec. 2, but was later activated and placed back on injured reserve. Pateryn should provide the Wild with some defensive depth. While he doesn’t offer much in offensive ability (one goal, six assists in 80 games last year), he did provide much needed defense, including 144 hits and 118 blocks.

Western Notes: Tkachuk, Hjalmarsson, Ducks, Johns

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While the Department of Player Safety has announced that Edmonton Oilers forward Zack Kassian will receive a hearing on Monday for his retaliation against Calgary’s Matthew Tkachuk, many point to two hits that Tkachuk doled out against Kassian before the incident. However, ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski reports that the Department of Player Safety has cleared Tkachuk of his role in the incident.

“Both hits delivered on Kassian were legal, full body checks delivered to a player carrying the puck,” stated the Department of Player Safety to ESPN.

  • The Arizona Coyotes are expected to get a big boost to their defense as the team is expecting to get back defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson, according The Athletic’s Craig Morgan. The veteran blueliner has missed 43 games after cracking his left fibula when he blocked a Erik Johnson slapshot back on Oct. 12. The 32-year-old has appeared in just four games, but when healthy should provide the team with another top-four option and an anchor on defense as the team has lost two straight and only has won five of their last 10 contests.
  • Last night on Hockey Night in Canada, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the Anaheim Ducks could make an impact on the trade deadline movement as the team has made it known that they are willing to take on some salary in trade deadline deals, something that might prove to be quite valuable to teams that are tight against the cap. CapFriendly reports that Anaheim would have $10.1MM in deadline cap space as they are capable of putting Ryan Kesler and Patrick Eaves on long-term injured reserve, if needed. “The Ducks have let it be known that they’ve got cash and cap space,” Friedman explained. “They are willing to listen to you if you want to use them to help you clean up your cap problem, however, it’s going to cost you good, young assets.”
  • The Dallas Stars got good news Saturday as defenseman Stephen Johns played in his first game in almost two years as the blueliner scored a goal and three assists in the Texas Stars victory over the Toronto Marlies in an AHL game, according to Sean Shapiro of The Athletic (subscription required). Johns has missed all that time with concussion issues, but seems ready to return to Dallas’ lineup soon. He’s expected to still play a few more games in the AHL before joining up with Dallas as a third-pairing option.

Minor Transactions: 01/11/20

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The Red Wings picked up their 12th win of the season on Friday night (albeit against the Senators), while the injury-riddled Penguins won their 13th game since the beginning of December alone and miraculously have the most points in the league since Sidney Crosby went down with an injury. Two of just six teams in action last night, both Detroit and Pittsburgh will take a seat tonight while 22 other teams hit the ice. They return to action on Sunday as two of just twelve teams, as the NHL has just 20 games scheduled from Friday night through Sunday in a relatively quiet weekend. With substantial off-time for many teams, look for the focus to instead be on roster transactions as teams prepare for the coming week. Keep up with all of the action right here:

  • Late last night (or this morning on the east coast), the Vegas Golden Knights made a swap up front. The team announced that Nicolas Roy had been reassigned to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, with Keegan Kolesar promoted to replace him. Roy has been a competent part-time player for the Knights this season, recording five points in eleven games, but Vegas is clearly looking for a different type of presence in bringing up Kolesar. The hard-hitting winger has just ten points on the season in the minors but brings a valuable physical element. However, Vegas timed the recall well if they’re hoping to see a little offense, as Kolesar scored his first two goals of the season with the Wolves just last night. This would be Kolesar’s NHL debut if he does draw into the lineup on this recall.
  • CapFriendly reports that the San Jose Sharks also made a move late last night, sending rookie forward Joachim Blichfeld back to the AHL. Blichfeld had only been recalled the day before, but fortunately it is a short walk from the Sharks’ locker room to the Barracuda’s. The Danish winger has been a point-per-game player in the AHL this year, but has been held off the score sheet in two NHL games.
  • Yet another Pacific Division team has made a move, though this one occurring this morning, as the Vancouver Canucks have announced the demotion of forward Zack MacEwen. The big, 23-year-old winger has the size and ability to be a difference-maker and has proved as much in the AHL over the last few years, but since the beginning of last season, he has been held to just one goal and three points in a dozen games with the Canucks. He will continue to be a top depth option from the Utica Comets, but will have a hard time finding a full-time role in Vancouver without more consistent production.
  • The Washington Capitals have reassigned a healthy Christian Djoos to the AHL’s Hershey Bears. Djoos, who received a $1.25MM salary in arbitration this summer, has nevertheless been relegated to the minors for much of the year, mostly as a cap-saving measure. Djoos has played in just two games with the Capitals this year after skating in more than 100 since the start of the 2017-18 season. The move leaves Washington with just six defensemen on the roster for the time being, further proving that Djoos’ experience and AHL production this season will not be enough to keep on the league-leaders’ roster this year.
  • The Laval Rocket, farm team to the Montreal Canadiens, have come to terms on a contract with defenseman Evan McEneny for the remainder of the year. McEneny played ten games on a PTO with Laval prior to his status with the team becoming official. The former Vancouver Canucks prospect was a productive AHL defenseman with the Utica Comets over the past three seasons and is deserving of a pro contract.
  • With MacKenzie Blackwood out with an upper-body injury, the Devils have recalled goaltender Evan Cormier from Binghamton of the AHL.  Cormier has split the season between the AHL and ECHL and will likely only serve as the backup to Louis Domingue until Blackwood returns.  To make room on the roster, Ben Street was transferred to IR.
  • The San Jose Sharks have recalled forward Lukas Radil from the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL, according to CapFriendly. The 29-year-old has a goal and five points in eight games with the Barracuda after failing to register a point in 14 contests with the Sharks.
  • The New York Islanders announced they have recalled defenseman Sebastian Aho from the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL. Aho was initally recalled when defenseman Adam Pelech went down with an injury and then sent down on Thursday as the team wasn’t playing again until Saturday. Now he’s back and he’ll serve as an extra defenseman. Just an hour later, Aho was assigned back to Bridgeport. Go figure.
  • The Arizona Coyotes announced that they have recalled goaltender Ivan Prosvetov from the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL, while assigning defenseman Kyle Capobianco to Tucson. Prosvetov’s recall suggests that Arizona still needs a backup to Adin Hill, while the team hopes one of their starting netminders will get healthy. Obviously, they are not ready yet. The 20-year-old has fared quite well in his first pro season as he has a 2.38 GAA and a .931 save percentage in 15 appearances. Capobianco has one goal in seven games for the Coyotes.

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