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Ducks’ Adam Henrique Clears Waivers

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Sunday: Henrique has cleared waivers. Despite a career of consistent scoring and quality two-way play, it seems that teams were too frightened by Henrique’s lengthy contract and slow start to the season to risk a claim. This may not be over though; it is hard to imagine that there are not teams in the NHL that could benefit from the dynamic Duck’s services if they can make the salary cap work in a trade.

Saturday: There have been some notable veterans placed on waivers in recent days and Saturday has yielded another of those moves as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that the Ducks have placed center Adam Henrique on waivers.  While it’s not common for a GM to comment on a player hitting the waiver wire right away, Bob Murray did release a brief statement to Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register:

Adam is not alone in this. But I’m tired of talking and waiting. We need results and difficult decisions must be made.

It has been a tough year for the 31-year-old, to put it lightly.  Henrique has just three goals and an assist in 16 games this season despite logging over 16 minutes per game and nearly two per night with the man advantage.  For someone that’s expected to be a top-six forward, that type of production hasn’t been good enough which has resulted in this move.  The drop-off offensively comes as somewhat of a surprise considering that Henrique actually led Anaheim in scoring last season with 26 goals and 17 assists in 71 games; had it not been for the pandemic, he would have had a realistic chance at reaching the 30-goal mark for only the second time in his career.

Henrique still has three years left on his contract after this season with a $5.825MM AAV and salary and with many teams being capped out (only five teams can afford to claim him), it’s quite unlikely that he’ll be claimed on Sunday.  Instead, the placement will give them a bit more roster flexibility and allow them to shuffle him to the taxi squad on non-game days, allowing them to temporarily clear $1.075MM off their salary cap.  It could also serve as somewhat of a wakeup call to Henrique and the rest of the Ducks who are off to a bit of a sluggish start to their season having won only six of 17 games so far, though that’s still enough to be just two points out of a playoff spot in the West Division.

Brad Treliving Discusses Sam Bennett’s Trade Request

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Last month, some eyebrows were raised when Flames forward Sam Bennett’s trade request became public through comments from his agent Darren Ferris.  Calgary GM Brad Treliving decided to comment on the matter on Friday in an interview with Sportsnet 960 (audio link):

A few weeks ago, I think we all saw, Sam’s agent decided to have a conversion with the media in talking about changes of scenery and all that.  We’ll determine, whether it be Sam Bennett or anybody else, what their scenery is and when it’s going to change.

Until such time, Sam is a member of the Calgary Flames. He’s like every other member of the Calgary Flames. We think Sam is a hell of a player and we expect him to be a real good player here, and we’ll go from there.

It has been somewhat of a rocky six seasons in Calgary for the 2014 fourth-overall pick.  His offensive game hasn’t improved much over the years with his most productive campaign coming in his rookie year when he had 18 goals and 18 assists, more than respectable numbers as a junior-aged player.  However, he hasn’t had more than 27 points in a single season since then.

But when the playoffs have come around, Bennett has been a much bigger contributor.  He had five goals in 10 games in the bubble last summer to lead the team while also chipping in with 54 hits.  Power forwards are hard to come by and his playoff performances keep earning him extra chances with the Flames.

Unfortunately for both him and the team, he hasn’t been able to bring that same level of performance to the regular season.  He has just two goals and an assist this season despite spending time both at center and on the wing, at times as high as the top line.  He was made a healthy scratch not long after his trade request and wound up sitting for the entire third period last night with head coach Geoff Ward not pleased about his performance.

While Treliving is understandably displeased that Bennett’s trade request went public (especially after not informing the team of it first), this could soon be a situation where a move winds up being best for both sides.  Bennett is in the final year of a two-year, $5.1MM deal and is owed a $2.55MM qualifying offer this summer to retain his RFA rights.  If he continues to struggle offensively, it would be a risk to qualify him and give him arbitration eligibility while working out a deal to avoid that seems unlikely given the trade request.  There’s still time for him to turn things around before the April 12th trade deadline but Bennett is going to be at the forefront of trade speculation for a while yet regardless of Treliving’s comments.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Vegas Golden Knights

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We’ve made it past the holiday season but there is still plenty to be thankful for. Like the last few years, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for but this season comes with a bit of a change. Typically at this time of the calendar year, the trade deadline is fast approaching but now, we’re only at the one-quarter mark.  Still, we’ll analyze what they’re happy about so far and what they can be hoping for in the months to come.

What are the Golden Knights most thankful for?

Their scoring depth.  Most teams in their fourth year of existence haven’t typically built up a deep group of veterans but Vegas hasn’t been a typical newer team at any point along the way.  They have five forwards that scored at least 15 goals in the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season and have two players not in that group that have a shot at that mark this season.  Having three lines capable of putting up strong offensive production is a luxury that many teams aren’t able to afford.  Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon has gone through quite a few hoops to assemble this roster which is one of the deepest in the league that should give them enough firepower to win most nights, even if one of their two starting-caliber goalies has an off night.

Who are the Golden Knights most thankful for?

Mark Stone.  While he isn’t a player that’s going to be contending for the Art Ross Trophy, he’s a consistent offensive producer having hovered near the point per game mark for the last three seasons plus this one while being one of the top defensive forwards in the league.  That’s a rare combination to have.  Sure, Vegas is known for the glitz and glamour but Stone is anything but flashy and that’s just what they need from their captain.  He’s signed for six more years after this one so it’s safe to say that he’ll be a fixture on their top line for a long time yet.  There has been considerable roster turnover in the early going for the Golden Knights but Stone gives them some much-needed stability.

What would the Golden Knights be even more thankful for?

A big jump forward from Cody Glass.  The sophomore is off to a nice start to his season with two goals and five assists through his first ten games so he’s already trending in the right direction.  However, they had to part with Paul Stastny over the offseason while William Karlsson isn’t the number one center he was in their inaugural year.  That’s left them a bit thin down the middle with Chandler Stephenson also taking on a bigger role.  His ceiling is nowhere near that of Glass, however.  Their first-ever draft pick, Glass was picked with the expectation that he will one day become their top pivot.  He’s definitely on the right track although the sooner he can get there, the more dangerous Vegas can become.  That’s a lot of pressure but with an inability to afford any additions, any further improvement is going to have to come from within the roster and he has the highest ceiling.

What should be on the Golden Knights’ wish list?

Cap space.  They’ve been able to stay in cap compliance this season by often dressing just five defensemen and are currently using LTIR to carry a more typical gameday lineup.  There aren’t many ways to free up cap room without subtracting a key piece off the roster but if they could find a way to sneak a depth forward like Tomas Nosek to the taxi squad and just bring him up for games they’re going to use him.  Forget about accruing enough cap space to make a deadline acquisition; instead, the focus for McCrimmon should be trying to bank enough room to afford to merely call someone up.  Such is life with a team that’s as well-stocked with veteran talent as they are.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Mike Babcock Named University Of Saskatchewan’s Head Coach

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It appears as if Mike Babcock has found his next head coaching job but it won’t be in the NHL or the professional ranks at all, for that matter.  Instead, the veteran bench boss has been named the head coach of the University of Saskatchewan in Canada’s college ranks, per a release from the school.  He received a two-year deal on a volunteer basis.

Babcock has been looking for a new coaching opportunity since being fired by Toronto midway through last season with Sheldon Keefe taking over and had been doing some television work for NBC this season.  Now, it’s a return back to his roots as Babcock is from Saskatoon, played for the school back in 1981-82, and received an honorary degree from them back in 2016.

The 57-year-old is one of only eight head coaches in NHL history to record 700 career wins and has spent parts of 17 seasons behind the bench.  He’s also quite decorated internationally and is the only member of the ’Triple Gold’ club among coaches (Olympics, World Championships, and a Stanley Cup).  However, he didn’t receive any serious consideration for the vacancies that existed over the offseason.  He’s still receiving his full $5.875MM salary from Toronto until his contract with them runs out following the 2022-23 season (the same time this contract ends) and now will be able to work closer to home for the time being although Babcock will have to wait for next season to start as the U SPORTS season was cancelled back in October.

TSN’s Darren Dreger was the first to report the hiring.

Devils Activate Nico Hischier, Name Him Team Captain

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It’s a big day for Devils center Nico Hischier.  First, he was cleared to come off the CPRA list (making him the final New Jersey player to be removed) but he was also named team captain in advance of today’s game against Buffalo.  He becomes the 12th captain in franchise history.

It has been a trying season for 22-year-old in that he hasn’t been able to play yet.  Hischier suffered a leg injury back in December while training and before he could be cleared to return, he was one of many New Jersey players to wind up on the CPRA list.  Even though he had recovered from the leg injury during that stint, he had to clear COVID protocol before he could be activated.  That’s hardly what he was hoping to give New Jersey in the first season of a seven-year, $50.5MM contract signed back in October of 2019.

He is a welcome addition to a New Jersey lineup that sits in the middle of the pack in offense this season at 2.82 goals per game heading into play today.  Hischier isn’t a high-end goal scorer – he only reached 20 goals in his rookie season – but is their best pure playmaker which should give them a boost offensively as the Devils look to hang around the playoff race in the very tight East Division.  As a result of their extended break in the schedule, he’ll wind up only missing 11 games despite being out for nearly six weeks.

Hischier becomes the youngest active captain in the league, taking that mark from Edmonton’s Connor McDavid (24).  He’s also the third ever captain from Switzerland, joining Roman Josi who is Nashville’s captain as well as Mark Streit who held the title for the Islanders in 2011-12 and 2012-13.  There are now just two teams in the league without a captain, the Rangers and Senators.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

East Notes: Crosby, Ristolainen, Bruins

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Tonight is a milestone game for Penguins center Sidney Crosby as he plays in his 1,000th career NHL contest, all in a Pittsburgh uniform.  However, with the team struggling, some have speculated as to whether or not the 33-year-old would be better off or happier with a trade.  Speaking with reporters including NHL.com’s Wes Crosby, the captain tried to downplay that, reiterating his desire to stay with the that drafted him first overall in 2005:

Nothing’s changed. [The rumors are] definitely kind of a new subject that I’ve had to deal with and hear about a little bit. But I love playing here. This is where I’d love to play for the rest of my career. So I can’t really control what’s said or rumors or things like that, but that’s just kind of how I approach it.

Crosby is off to a bit of a slower start by his standards having averaged over a point per game in all of his first 15 NHL seasons but still sits second in scoring on the Penguins this season with six goals and seven assists in 15 games.

Elsewhere in the East Division:

  • While Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen is off the CPRA list, he’s not expected to join the team on their current road trip and remains out indefinitely, Lance Lysowski and Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News report. The 26-year-old had a particularly rough case of the virus and head coach Ralph Krueger indicated that it will be a “long process” for the blueliner to return to the lineup.  Ristolainen was off to a strong start to his year with six points in ten games while logging over 23 minutes per night but it appears that he will be out for a while yet.
  • The Bruins will be without center David Krejci and defenseman Kevan Miller for their outdoor game at Lake Tahoe tomorrow, notes Joe McDonald of the Worcester Telegram and Gazette (Twitter link). Krejci is dealing with a lower-body injury sustained on Thursday versus New Jersey while Miller’s absence is believed to be more for rest as he works his way back from missing all of last year.  Jack Studnicka and Urho Vaakanainen were both recalled to Boston’s taxi squad yesterday.

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 02/20/21

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There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day.

Central Division

  • The Red Wings announced (Twitter link) that they’ve assigned defenseman Alex Biega to the taxi squad. Detroit recalled him for yesterday’s game against Florida but didn’t suit up.  The 32-year-old has played just once so far this season.
  • The Blue Jackets have recalled defenseman Gabriel Carlsson from the taxi squad, per a team release.  The blueliner cleared waivers earlier this week but his presence on the roster is now needed with David Savard out for today’s game due to a non-COVID illness.
  • The Dallas Stars have recalled Joel Kiviranta from the taxi squad, bringing up Rhett Gardner from the AHL in his place. The Stars haven’t played in a week and won’t be back in game action until Monday.

North Division

  • The Canadiens announced (Twitter link) that they have recalled winger Michael Frolik to their taxi squad from AHL Laval. The veteran was sent down at the beginning of the week to get into a couple of games for conditioning purposes and has yet to play for Montreal.
  • After loaning Joey Daccord to the AHL yesterday to make a spot start, the Senators announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled him to the taxi squad. The 24-year-old has allowed five goals in each of his two minor league starts this season.

East Division

  • Ilya Samsonov won’t be making his return to the lineup today after all. The Capitals announced (Twitter link) that they’ve sent the netminder back to the taxi squad and have once again recalled Craig Anderson for their game against the Rangers.
  • After clearing waivers, the Devils assigned defenseman Matt Tennyson to their taxi squad, CapFriendly reports.  The blueliner has played in ten games this season, recording one assist while averaging 13:43 per game in ice time.
  • The Islanders have once again promoted winger Oliver Wahlstrom and Leo Komarov from the taxi squad, reports Newsday’s Andrew Gross (Twitter link).  New York has been shuffling their waiver-exempt prospects back and forth all season while Komarov recently cleared waivers again, allowing them to do the same with the 34-year-old.

West Division

  • Colorado has assigned defenseman Kyle Burroughs from their taxi squad to the AHL, per the AHL’s transactions log.  He was recalled to the Avalanche’s taxi squad last Friday but didn’t get into any game action.
  • The Kings have brought up one of their top prospects to their taxi squad, announcing (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled Rasmus Kupari from AHL Ontario.  The 20th-overall pick in 2018 leads the AHL in assists (seven) and points (eight) in the early going this season.
  • Arizona has loaned defenseman Kyle Capobianco and center Frederik Gauthier to AHL Tucson, per the AHL’s transaction log.  Capobianco has played in two games with the Coyotes this season while Gauthier, who was a regular on Toronto’s roster last year, has yet to play in 2021.  They’ll have an opportunity to see some game action now.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Mutual Interest Between Sabres And Taylor Hall Regarding A Contract Extension

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When Buffalo surprisingly signed Taylor Hall to a one-year, $8MM contract in October, speculation already started as to whether or not the winger would make it through the year with the Sabres.  If the team struggled in the Atlantic Division (the signing came before the move which now has them in the East Division), he’d become a plausible rental trade deadline candidate.  However, it appears neither side has any interest in things getting to that point as Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reported in TSN’s latest Insider Trading segment (video link) that there is mutual interest in a contract extension.

Midway through last season, he was acquired by Arizona in the hopes of pushing the Coyotes to a lengthy postseason run.  Hall, meanwhile, was hoping that the change of scenery would see him improve his offensive numbers and really bolster his value heading to the open market.  Neither really happened.  Arizona did make the postseason and get through the qualifying round but that was predominantly on the back of Darcy Kuemper.  Meanwhile, Hall’s point per game rate dipped in the desert and went slightly lower in the playoffs though he did manage two goals and four assists in nine games.

As a result, his market was much softer than expected.  Two years ago, it looked as if he could be like Artemi Panarin and land a multi-year deal worth more than $10MM per year but he couldn’t come close to that.  As a result, he pivoted towards the one-year pact that landed him with Buffalo in the hopes that the opportunity to play alongside Jack Eichel would allow him to improve his offensive output and give him a better shot at a stronger market this summer.  Unfortunately for both Hall and the Sabres, that hasn’t happened as the 29-year-old has just one goal through 12 games heading into play on Thursday though he ranks second to Eichel in assists with eight.

That type of offensive performance doesn’t lend itself towards matching let alone beating his $8MM price tag which makes it interesting that he’d be open to an extension at this time given that his marketability isn’t as strong as he was hoping it’d be let alone the fact that the Sabres have struggled considerably this season.  Him showing a willingness to sign would seemingly work in Buffalo’s favor at this point although they’d still likely need to come close to his current AAV to justify Hall foregoing another shot at the open market.

While there is mutual interest in getting something done, it will take a while before they’ll be allowed to do so.  Since Hall signed a one-year contract, there is a restriction on how quickly he can sign an extension.  Normally, that deadline is January 1st which is nearly three months into a typical regular season but that’s with free agency coming in the summer.  Since the UFA market came in mid-October, this year’s allowable extension date is March 12th, just two months into the year.  That comes one month before the trade deadline so if they can’t get a deal in place around that time, Buffalo will only have a few weeks to decide whether to keep Hall or trade him.  It’s a narrow window to work with but with a shortened schedule, decisions are being made a bit quicker this season and this case will be no exception.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

West Notes: Karlsson, Lehner, Parayko, Walker

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The Sharks will be without defenseman Erik Karlsson for at least the next two games, notes Jon Williams of NBC Sports Bay Area.  The veteran is dealing with another groin injury though it’s not believed to be related to his previous groin injuries.  Nevertheless, head coach Bob Boughner indicated yesterday to reporters, including Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News, that Karlsson’s injury is a nagging one that he had been playing through.  However, with just four assists in 13 games this season, it’s certainly fair to wonder if the veteran would be better served by sitting for a little while and trying to come back at full strength.  With a record-setting $11.5MM AAV, San Jose needs much more offense than they’ve received from Karlsson thus far and perhaps this groin issue is at least partially to blame.

Elsewhere in the West Division:

  • Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner isn’t expected to travel with the team for this weekend’s outdoor game at Lake Tahoe, reports David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal (Twitter link). However, he is expected to return to the Vegas lineup sooner than later.  Lehner last played on February 7th and has been battling an upper-body injury.  Marc-Andre Fleury has been quite strong in his absence as he tries to retake his former number one role.
  • While the Blues are getting Marco Scandella and Torey Krug back tonight from their respective upper-body injuries, it’s not all good news for their back end as Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch relays that Colton Parayko’s nagging injury is enough to keep him out of the lineup. The 27-year-old was expected to have a big season following the departure of Alex Pietrangelo but has managed just a goal and seven assists through 16 games and was only able to play 15 minutes on Monday against Arizona.
  • The Kings are close to welcoming back Sean Walker to their lineup as Lisa Dillman of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the defenseman is expected to play at some point on their six-game road trip. The 26-year-old has missed the last six games after undergoing nasal surgery after he took a slapshot to the face in late-January.

Blues Hoping To Sign Jordan Binnington To Contract Extension

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Two years ago, Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington surprised many by taking over the starting job in St. Louis, eventually leading them to a Stanley Cup title.  However, with no real track record of success before that point, the two sides eventually agreed on a two-year, $8.8MM contract, a deal that gave the Blues some financial wiggle room but also allowed the netminder to reach unrestricted free agency in his prime.  That comes this summer and not surprisingly, GM Doug Armstrong told Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic (subscription link) that their intent is to work out an extension with their top goalie:

Yeah, we try and keep (contract negotiations) behind closed doors. But you know, we drafted him, and he took the long road to get here, but since he’s been here, we’ve had success, and obviously we’re hoping to find a way to keep him here.

If you look at this age and you look at what he’s accomplished, you know most teams have a No. 1 guy, and we have a No. 1 guy. Certainly, if he’s not here, we’re going to have to go find another partner for Husso. So our goal is to keep him here, obviously.

Binnington is off to a strong start this season with a 2.37 GAA and a .918 SV% through his first dozen starts, numbers that are a bit better than his 2019-20 performance (2.56 GAA, .912 SV%).  Those are certainly number starting-caliber numbers and with that means a sizable raise is coming.  Rutherford reports that the expectation around the league is that the 27-year-old is in line for a deal between five and seven years with a price tag between $5.5MM and $6.5MM.

That falls in line with several deals that starters received over the offseason including Jacob Markstrom, six years, $36MM, Robin Lehner (five years, $25MM), and Matt Murray (four years, $6.25MM).

Cap space will be tough to come by for St. Louis, however.  They have $59MM in commitments to just 12 players for next season, per CapFriendly, with the cap not expected to go up.  Spending a quarter of that or more on Binnington – or a replacement goaltender – really will make things difficult in terms of filling out the rest of the roster with Jaden Schwartz and Mike Hoffman among the other notable pending unrestricted free agents.  However, given Binnington’s importance to the Blues, it’s a price that Armstrong would be wise to pay even though it will present even more salary cap challenges in the near future.  But for now, he isn’t commenting on the status of any possible talks.

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