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East Notes: Athanasiou, Hajek, Brown

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Andreas Athanasiou has been wildly inconsistent throughout his NHL career.  After scoring 30 goals last season though, it looked like he was emerging as a key piece of the puzzle for the Red Wings.  However, he has struggled considerably this season with just five goals in 28 games along with a league-worst -31 rating.  To that end, MLive’s Ansar Khan suggests that GM Steve Yzerman could be reaching the point where he believes it’s time to move on from the winger.  Athanasiou is one of several wingers that are slated to become restricted free agents and it’s likely that they’ll be seeking long-term pacts with Anthony Mantha and Tyler Bertuzzi.  Given Athanasiou’s struggles though, it’s harder to envision them pursuing a long-term deal with him at this time.  Of course, the timing for a trade isn’t ideal as they’d be selling low so if Yzerman does decide to move on, the offseason may be the better time to pull the trigger on a deal.

Elsewhere in the East:

  • Rangers defenseman Libor Hajek will miss the next three to four weeks due to a knee sprain, the team announced (Twitter link). The injury occurred early in Thursday’s game against Columbus.  The second-year pro has held down a regular spot on New York’s back end this season, playing in 27 games while averaging just over 16 minutes a night in playing time.  The injury means that Marc Staal, who came off IR for Friday’s game, should have a regular spot in the lineup for at least the next few weeks.
  • After sending down defenseman Erik Brannstrom earlier this week in an effort to get him more playing time, Senators head coach D.J. Smith acknowledged to Postmedia’s Ken Warren that center Logan Brown could be in a similar situation before too long. Brown played just 5:28 on Wednesday and was a healthy scratch a week ago and is poised to be on the fourth line for today’s game in Philadelphia.  That low of ice time isn’t ideal from a development perspective so if it continues much longer, he’ll likely be heading back to AHL Belleville.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Calgary Flames

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As the holiday season approaches, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for as the season heads past the one-quarter mark. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Calgary Flames.

What are the Flames most thankful for?

Strong long-term cap certainty.  With salaries for top-end players rapidly on the rise, Matthew Tkachuk checks in as their top-paid player at a $7MM AAV.  Their other core players are all locked up through at least 2021-22 so that relatively low top mark is going to be in place for a few years at the very least.  While their current salary cap situation is a bit tenuous, there are undoubtedly teams around the league that would love to have that type of ceiling at the top of their salary structure.

Who are the Flames most thankful for?

Mark Giordano has largely flown under the radar in his career.  And let’s face it, even with the 2019 Norris Trophy under his belt, he’s still under the radar.  While it’s true that he likely won’t be a repeat winner this season, he still does an awful lot for Calgary’s back end.  He leads them in minutes played per game by nearly three a night while often logging the toughest defensive assignments.  His offense has dipped a bit relative to last year but is actually above the pace of the previous two seasons.  And he’s doing this at the age of 36.  Usually, there’s some wear and tear on top defenders by that age but that hasn’t really manifested yet for their captain.

What would the Flames be even more thankful for?

More production from the top line.  While the numbers for Johnny Gaudreau (5-16-21) and Sean Monahan (6-15-21) aren’t terrible, they’re still well below their paces from a year ago.  The drop in output has played a large role in Calgary now sitting 26th in the league in goals scored after sitting in second just a year ago.

To be fair, they shouldn’t be singled out alone for the drop off offensively.  Mikael Backlund has just three goals on the season, Michael Frolik has one, and Milan Lucic is still looking for his first.  Those three veterans combine for a $14.4MM AAV; they’re not getting anything near good bang for their buck.  Even if they don’t all start producing relative to their cap hits, any kind of production would certainly go a long way towards deepening their attack.

What should be on the Flames’ Holiday Wish List?

With some of these inflated contracts on the books, their cap space is limited so finding a taker for someone like Frolik who is on an expiring contract would be extremely helpful.  Assuming they have to take a similar contract back, that player may be able to contribute a bit more offensively which would help their scoring struggles as well.

Beyond that, they’d like to get some certainty with regards to pending UFA defensemen Travis Hamonic and T.J. Brodie.  Hamonic doesn’t appear to be open to an in-season extension but GM Brad Treliving will likely circle back on that one before too long to see if there is a chance at getting a new deal done.  Can they keep him and if not, does their focus shift to Brodie or do they continue to wait?  A lot of what Calgary can do beyond this season is tied to what happens here as they basically have to encumber their cap space until these cases are figured out.  Some early answers allowing ample time to try to either accommodate new deals or find a potential trade partner would be something that Treliving would love to have.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Snapshots: Wild, Abdelkader, Patrick

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Wild GM Bill Guerin recently visited with top prospect Kirill Kaprizov in Russia.  He hadn’t had a chance to meet with Kaprizov since taking over as GM and while the team certainly wants the winger to sign with Minnesota for next season, he told Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription required) that they didn’t get into specific discussions regarding next year and will simply reassess things at the end of his KHL season.

Nonetheless, Guerin did acknowledge that he has given some thought towards trying to add a Russian player to their roster with an eye on having that player help Kaprizov transition to the Wild and the NHL.  That’s a move that they can wait to next year to make if they want but if it’s something that’s being considered, it also could have an impact on any trade discussions they have between now and the end of the season as well.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • Red Wings winger Justin Abdelkader is nearing a return to the lineup. Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press notes that he returned to practice for the first time on Tuesday and could be available for their next game on Saturday.  The veteran has been out with a mid-body injury since November 10th and would be a welcome addition to a Detroit lineup that has been hit hard by the injury bug and has lost ten straight games.
  • It has been a rough season for Flyers center Nolan Patrick. Diagnosed with a migraine disorder, he was initially believed to only need a couple of weeks to recover to the point where they didn’t put him on LTIR.  Seven weeks went by and he was eventually transferred there.  Now, as Patrick told reporters including NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Jordan Hall, he’s simply hopeful to play at all this season.  Patrick is in the final year of his contract and instead of looking at a potential long-term extension, the focus now is simply getting back to playing first and foremost.

Golden Knights Acquire Chandler Stephenson

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Tuesday: The deal has official gone through. Vegas acquired Stephenson in exchange for a 2021 fifth-round pick.

Monday: The Capitals and Golden Knights appear to be nearing an agreement on a trade involving Washington center Chandler Stephenson, according to reports from David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period (Twitter link) and TSN’s Darren Dreger (Twitter link).

Stephenson is in his third full season as an NHL player but his hold on a roster spot has been tenuous at best.  He has played in 24 games with the Caps this season, recording three goals and an assist while averaging just shy of 12 minutes per night.  With a $1.05MM cap hit, he costs a fair bit more than the players making the $700K league minimum and with the Capitals being extremely tight to the salary cap, a prorated few hundred thousand can make a big difference.  Winger Carl Hagelin is nearing a return from LTIR which is providing an impetus to make a move to free up a bit of cap room.

As for what may interest Vegas in the 25-year-old, center Cody Eakin is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury, creating an opening on the penalty kill which is an area that Stephenson can help in as he regularly kills penalties with Washington.  The Golden Knights are currently in action so any move won’t likely be announced until after the conclusion of their game.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Buffalo Sabres

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As the holiday season approaches, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for as the season heads past the one-quarter mark. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Buffalo Sabres.

What are the Sabres most thankful for?

A deep group of defensemen.  Buffalo has considerable defensive depth with which they can deal from to try to shore up their forwards.  What’s particularly nice for GM Jason Botterill is that he has a few different types of defenders that he can move.  Veterans Marco Scandella and Zach Bogosian aren’t likely part of the long-term plans but could fill a void on the third pairing for some teams.  Colin Miller is someone that has attracted a fair bit of interest over the years and has had a limited role with the Sabres so far.  While Rasmus Ristolainen’s willingness to be dealt isn’t as high, their depth on the right side makes a potential move there an option at a time where impact defenders are seldom available for trade.  Many teams look to add defensive depth as the season progresses and Botterill should be well-positioned to capitalize.

Who are the Sabres most thankful for?

Jack Eichel.  It has taken some time but he has emerged as a legitimate star center and is making his eight-year, $80MM contract look much better now.  After reaching (and surpassing) the point per game mark for the first time last season, he has taken his offensive progression to another level and sits seventh in league scoring heading into play on Monday.  While he will be viewed by many as the consolation prize to Connor McDavid who went one spot ahead in the 2015 draft class, Eichel has emerged as a legitimate franchise player in his own right and with six years left on his deal after this one, he’ll be sticking around for a while.

What would the Sabres be even more thankful for?

Some stability and consistency.  Since Lindy Ruff was let go following the 2012-13 season, Buffalo has gone through now four different head coaches with none of them making it through more than two years.  That type of frequent turnover makes it difficult to generate much in the way of positive momentum.

Another hallmark lately has been Buffalo’s penchant for streakiness.  They’ve had moments where they put together a strong string of wins but have frequently given that back with a stretch of several losses in a row.  The hope is that Ralph Krueger can be the one to turn the ship around but in the first two months of this season, that streakiness has continued.  A lengthy losing streak last month bumped them outside of the playoff picture for the time being as they look to snap of nine straight postseason misses.

What should be on the Sabres’ Holiday Wish List?

More scoring help.  Eichel, Jeff Skinner, Victor Olofsson (one of the more pleasant surprises through the first quarter of the season), and Sam Reinhart have all scored at an impressive pace so far.  However, they’ve combined for more than 57% of Buffalo’s goals as their secondary production has largely been non-existent.  Needing their top scorers to produce at the paces they’re at for the entire year is asking for a lot.  If the likes of Marcus Johansson, Conor Sheary, and Jimmy Vesey aren’t going to produce, Botterill will need to make a trade.  At least he has several defenders to deal to try to swing such a move.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Central Notes: Turris, Johnson, Crawford, Jets

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Although he has sat for six straight games and has played a very minor role this season, Predators center Kyle Turris has not yet asked for a trade, GM David Poile told reporters including Paul Skrbina of The Tennessean.   At the time he was acquired (signing a six-year, $36MM extension in the process), Turris was expected to slot in on the second line.  However, while he did well in 2017-18, he underachieved a year ago which led them to bring in Matt Duchene (who was a part of the same three-team trade in 2017) over the summer.

Since then, Turris has largely been banished to the fourth line with head coach Peter Laviolette showing no inclination to trying him on the wing.  Instead, recent recalls Mathieu Olivier and Daniel Carr have been playing ahead of him.  With four years left on his deal after this one, it’s unlikely that there would be a taker for him anyway but for now, Turris hasn’t asked the Predators to search for a new home for him.

Elsewhere in the Central:

  • On top of losing winger Colin Wilson to a long-term injury that will require surgery, the Avalanche will also be without Erik Johnson for a little while as Mike Chambers of the Denver Post reports that the defenseman is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Johnson is no stranger to missing time due to injuries as he has missed 20 or more games in three of the last five seasons.  Colorado has had a plethora of injuries already this season and now they’ll have to make do without one of their top blueliners for a while.
  • The Blackhawks announced (Twitter link) that assistant coach Marc Crawford will be away from the team while they investigate claims made by former NHL forward Sean Avery regarding their time with Los Angeles. The team won’t be making any further comment until their review is completed.
  • Winnipeg winger Mason Appleton has missed the past five weeks due to a foot injury sustained in advance of the Heritage Classic but it appears that he’s nearing a return. Mitchell Clinton of the Jets’ team website notes that Appleton could participate in the morning skate on Tuesday and that he’ll take place in a couple of full practices after that before being assessed for clearance to return.  That could have him on track to play this weekend against Anaheim.  Meanwhile, winger Gabriel Bourque is a little further behind in his recovery; head coach Paul Maurice indicated that he’s about a week away from returning from the lower-body injury sustained early last month.

Latest On Julius Honka

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Sunday: With a 4 p.m. deadline to sign a contract for Puljujarvi and Honka, TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports that while it looks unlikely that a Puljujarvi trade could happen, a Honka trade is quite possible. McKenzie reports that talk between other clubs and Dallas are ongoing and a trade/signing is possible.

Saturday: There are a pair of restricted free agents whose fates will be determined one way or the other this weekend.  The deadline for signing an NHL contract as an RFA is December 1st and while Edmonton winger Jesse Puljujarvi has drawn most of the attention, Dallas defenseman Julius Honka is in the same situation.  Speaking with Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News, GM Jim Nill indicated that there hasn’t been much movement on the trade front in terms of improved offers from around the league:

We’re still talking to teams, but I’m going to do what’s right for the team, for the Dallas Stars. He’s an asset, and right now, I’m not comfortable with what’s been offered to me. The good thing is, for Julius’ sake, is he’s over there playing. He’s playing a lot. He’s on a good team, he’s in a good situation. He’s going to have a chance to make their national teams.

Honka has spent the season with JYP Jyväskylä of the Finnish SM-liiga, his hometown team, but the deal does contain an NHL out clause.  He has certainly taken advantage of the opportunity and has logged 19:44 per night in 14 games so far, well above the 13:43 he averaged with the Stars last season.  However, his offensive numbers (three goals and three assists) have been a little underwhelming considering his team is the top-scoring group in the league.  Nonetheless, Honka told DeFranks that he’s pleased with how things have gone this season and that he’s still seeking an NHL change of scenery:

I felt maybe like it’s good for my health and everything to move on and try to find something where I can enjoy it more, and be in a good situation for me. I’ve been really happy to play here. I feel like it’s going in a better direction here than my last month in North America. It’s going the right direction and positive, and my mindset is better. I’m really happy for it.

If Honka isn’t signed by 4:00 PM CST on Sunday, he’ll be ineligible to suit up in the NHL this season but Dallas will retain his rights heading into next summer.  In that case, he’ll remain with JYP (where his brother Anttoni, a Carolina prospect, also plays) and look to earn a spot on Finland’s entry to the World Championships in May in the hopes of boosting his trade value that way.

Oilers Notes: Puljujarvi, Benning, Draft Pick Trading, Chiasson

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Jesse Puljujarvi’s immediate NHL future is going to be sealed one way or the other by the end of the weekend.  If he isn’t signed by 4:00 PM CST tomorrow, he won’t be eligible to play in the NHL for the rest of the year.  It doesn’t sound as if much progress has been made when it comes to finding a trade suitor as Sportsnet’s Mark Spector reports (Twitter link) that as things stand, it appears that Puljujarvi won’t be on the move.

The 21-year-old has rediscovered his scoring touch back home with Karpat Oulu of the Finnish SM-liiga where he has recorded 11 goals and 13 assists in 24 games while averaging 18:30 per night.  His 24 points put him in a tie for fifth overall in league scoring and a tie for first on the team with former Philadelphia center Mika Pyorala.  If a trade suitor isn’t found by tomorrow, the Oilers will retain his rights as a restricted free agent and he will not accrue a year of service time towards UFA eligibility meaning he’ll still be under team control for four more years.

More from Edmonton:

  • Defenseman Matt Benning has been activated off injured reserve, notes Postmedia’s Jim Matheson. He has been out of the lineup since suffering a concussion back on November 19th against San Jose.  Edmonton had an extra roster spot so they didn’t have to send anyone to AHL Bakersfield to bring Benning off IR.
  • GM Ken Holland told Matheson that he’s open to trading a first-round pick but only if the team is in a spot where they’re a sure bet to make the playoffs. With Philadelphia and Chicago recently making big jumps from the bottom of the draft lottery, potential bubble teams are going to be even more hesitant to part with those selections.  Edmonton enters play today atop the Pacific Division and if they can hold onto that spot for a few more months, that pick may wind up being in play.
  • While it looked like Alex Chiasson would miss some time following a hard hit from Colorado defenseman Ryan Graves back on Wednesday, team play-by-play announcer Jack Michaels reports (Twitter link) that the winger will be in his spot on the second line tonight against Vancouver. After scoring 22 goals last season, Chiasson has struggled offensively with just two goals in 23 contests in 2019-20.

Metropolitan Notes: Georgiev, Capitals, Leddy

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With Henrik Lundqvist still signed for another year and Igor Shesterkin waiting in the wings while dominating the AHL this season, that has led some to speculate that the Rangers could wind up moving fellow netminder Alexandar Georgiev.  However, as Rick Carpinello of The Athletic points out (subscription required), Georgiev’s trade value may be lower than it seems on the surface.

With a .903 SV% this season, teams aren’t likely going to be looking at him as their starter of the future while those numbers would be a downgrade on quite a few backups around the league as well.  While he’s only 23 and there’s still some upside, that’s going to limit the number of suitors and likely reduce his trade value to the point where it doesn’t make much sense to move him even if it does increase the risk of a goalie logjam in the near future.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • While the Capitals would certainly like to add to their roster, GM Brian MacLellan acknowledged to NBC Sports Washington’s J.J. Regan that it’s going to be hard for them to add anyone, let alone an impact player this season. Washington has been tap dancing around the salary cap all season long and with Carl Hagelin’s looming return from LTIR, they’re about to be in an even tougher situation again where they’ll likely only carry the minimum number of players on the roster.  Unless MacLellan is willing to part with a core player or a core piece is injured for the rest of the season, don’t expect many, if any, changes between now and the end of the year.
  • Nick Leddy’s absence from the Islanders lineup appears to be a short-lived one. Newsday’s Andrew Gross notes (Twitter link) that the defenseman is expected to return to the lineup tonight after missing Wednesday’s game due to a lower-body injury.  He’ll likely take the place of Noah Dobson in the lineup; the junior-aged defender is sitting at just seven games played so far this season which means the first year of his entry-level deal has not been burned yet.

Devils Listening To Trade Offers For Taylor Hall

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3:07 PM — The Athletic’s Corey Masisak reports (Twitter link) that Hall refused to talk about potential trade talk, saying that he wants Shero and Ferris to handle questions about that. Hall, however, denied that he has asked to be traded.

12:02 PM — Devils winger Taylor Hall is the top player in the 2020 class of unrestricted free agents and with contract extension talks not yielding much progress, there had been plenty of speculation as to whether or not GM Ray Shero would be open to trading him at some point this season.  It appears that he’s open to the idea at the very least as Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that New Jersey is now listening to offers for the 2018 Hart Trophy winner.

Things have not gone according to plan for New Jersey or Hall this season.  The Devils are floundering in the standings as they sit at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division and only Detroit has fewer points than them in the league.  That makes a potential postseason push (where it could be justifiable to consider keeping him even without an extension in place) quite unlikely.  As for Hall, while he leads the team in points with 21, he currently has just four goals on the season so a change of scenery could certainly help his market value if he can get back on track offensively.

There’s no denying that Hall could help any number of contenders but the fact that New Jersey is open to the idea of moving him now could also open up some interest from some teams that are on the playoff bubble currently.  An addition like that could certainly push one of those squads into a postseason position.

If a trade was to get done in the near future, it wouldn’t automatically mean that an extension would be forthcoming as has been the case with other star rentals that have moved in recent years.  The acquiring team could get an opportunity to see how Hall adapts and whether or not he’s someone that can fit in with their long-term planning.  If not, then he’d become a rental candidate closer to the February 24th trade deadline.

It’s also worth noting that Hall is represented by Darren Ferris who has a reputation of encouraging his players to wait things out and get to the open market.  To that end, LeBrun speculates that any sort of trade package would likely have to have some conditional assets attached to it that would be transferred if and when a new deal with the acquiring team was struck.

Hall is currently carrying a $6MM salary and cap hit but that amount will certainly be going up by a significant margin on his next deal.  Heading into the year, it was thought by some that he could come close to Artemi Panarin’s $11.643MM AAV, a record price tag for a winger.  His early-season showing lessens the odds of that but it’s certainly quite possible that his next deal is in the $10MM range which would still make him one of the top-priced forwards in the league.  That thought could ultimately take some cap-strapped teams out of the equation as they may not want to part with some top assets for what likely would only wind up being a rental player, as talented as Hall may be.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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