Sharks Trade Jaycob Megna To Kraken
The Kraken have made a move to add some defensive depth as they’ve acquired defenseman Jaycob Megna from San Jose in exchange for a 2023 fourth-round draft pick. Both teams have confirmed the swap.
The 30-year-old had been a regular for the Sharks for most of the season, playing in a career-high 48 games. He chipped in a goal with 11 assists along with 63 blocks and 75 hits while averaging more than 19 minutes per contest. It’s unlikely that Megna will see that much ice time with Seattle as he is likely to be more of a depth defender with the Kraken when everyone is healthy. Megna has played in 135 NHL contests between Anaheim and San Jose for his career, collecting four goals and 21 assists.
Megna represents a low-cost depth addition for Seattle, both in terms of the acquisition cost and salary. On the contract front, he’s in the first season of a two-year, minimum-salary deal with an AAV of $762,500. Next season, that will be below the league minimum which will give him some extra value. As for the draft pick, Seattle will get to choose between sending their fourth-round selection or Colorado’s and will be required to make that choice by June 15th.
At the moment, Seattle had been carrying the minimum of six healthy defenders on the roster thanks to the injury to Justin Schultz that has kept him out of the lineup for the last couple of weeks. Megna will battle Cale Fleury for playing time in Schultz’s absence. The Kraken had two open roster spots prior to the swap so no corresponding move will need to be made to add him to their lineup.
Snapshots: Penguins, Stauber, Avalanche, Duclair
If the Penguins are going to be buyers for next month’s trade deadline, there’s at least one key asset that they’re not willing to move. Speaking with reporters including Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, GM Ron Hextall stated that they won’t be willing to move their first-round pick. At this time, Hextall plans to try to add a piece if he can, stating that “If we can do something to make us better this year, I’m looking to do it”. However, with limited space to work with (they have just $1.35MM in LTIR space at the moment per CapFriendly), any move they’re looking to make at this point is probably going to be of the depth variety.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
- The Blackhawks announced that they have recalled goaltender Jaxson Stauber from AHL Rockford. The 23-year-old was sent down over the All-Star break but didn’t see any game action with the IceHogs during that stretch. Stauber won his first two career NHL starts last month, allowing just four goals on 67 shots and has a 3.06 GAA and a .896 SV% in ten minor league contests.
- There’s some good news on the horizon for the Avalanche when it comes to the injury front. Peter Baugh of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that defenseman Bowen Byram and winger Valeri Nichushkin will return on Tuesday against Colorado. Byram has missed the last 38 games due to a lower-body injury but had been logging nearly 21 minutes a night in his first ten appearances where he picked up five points. Nichushkin, meanwhile, returns from his second ankle injury of the year. He has been quite productive when he has been in the lineup, collecting 18 points in 20 games. Meanwhile, it’s also possible that blueliner Josh Manson accompanies the team on the trip; he has been out for more than two months with a lower-body injury.
- The Panthers are hopeful that winger Anthony Duclair will be able to rejoin the team for practice this week, notes Katie Engelson of Bally Sports Florida (Twitter link). The 27-year-old has missed the entire season so far as he recovered from a torn Achilles. Last season, Duclair had a career year with 31 goals and 27 assists and Florida could really use him back as they look to get back into the playoff picture. With Patric Hornqvist (concussion) on LTIR, they’re not currently in a spot where they need to trade someone in order to free up the cap space to activate Duclair when he’s ready to return.
PHR Mailbag: Dylan Larkin Edition
With Bo Horvat off the market now following his trade (and subsequent extension), the intrigue surrounding Red Wings center Dylan Larkin has started to pick up. To that end, there were a few questions about him in our latest mailbag callout. Rather than squeeze answers these into yesterday’s column, let’s assess Larkin’s specific situation here instead. The rest of the mailbag will run next weekend as usual.
joebad34: With Dylan Larkin having difficulties getting a new contract from Detroit, is he now on the trading block? What would be the asking price? Would the Sabres sending, #1, Mittelstadt, Olofsson, Krebs and the rights to Portillo or Johnson work, if the Sabres and Larkin agree to a deal?
So, let’s look at where things stand first. It was reported latest last month that Larkin’s camp rejected an eight-year, $64MM extension. At first glance, it could be inferred that he’s likely to be traded, especially since that offer represented a notable increase on his current $6.1MM AAV. Not so fast. Larkin told reporters (including ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski) earlier this week that he still sees himself as a Red Wing long-term and reiterated his hope to stay with his hometown team.
With that in mind, I would suggest that right now, he’s not on the trade block. While I’m among the many that are stunned that an extension isn’t done yet, a month is still a fairly long time to get something done. At this point, there’s no immediate rush to start soliciting offers; Plan A is still getting a deal signed. Until things get to the point where an extension for sure isn’t getting done, I expect GM Steve Yzerman’s sole focus will be on the contract, not a trade.
Now, as to this trade proposal, you have too much going back. Three players, a prospect, and a first-rounder is too much even with the expected premium that would be associated with doing a sign-and-trade. I also wonder how much value the prospects have. If Ryan Johnson’s heart is set on testing free agency this summer, how useful is he to Detroit, aside from the compensatory late second-round pick? It’s a similar question for Erik Portillo who doesn’t have the compensatory pick option and frankly, the Red Wings are hoping Sebastian Cossa is their goalie of the future even with his first pro season not going the smoothest.
Out of the other pieces, I think a combo of Peyton Krebs, the first-round pick, and Casey Mittelstadt would be of interest to Detroit; I don’t sense Victor Olofsson would be the type of player Detroit would be willing to take on. Is that enough for an extended Larkin? I would say no but as a pure rental, that type of offer might get them in the mix if Detroit does wind up moving him and Buffalo decides to try to make a trade splash.
tigers22 2: What would possible packages be for Larkin and Bertuzzi if the Red Wings aren’t able to get new contracts with them done and decide to deal them?
The Horvat trade provides a pretty good idea of what Larkin’s trade market should be. They’re in the same tier talent-wise (I know Horvat’s having a big year offensively but historically, they’re comparable), on somewhat close contracts, and are seeking a pretty big raise. Horvat (with 25% retention) yielded a cap matcher (Anthony Beauvillier), a protected first-round pick, and a good prospect in Aatu Raty. Larkin’s numbers aren’t as good but if Detroit was willing to retain 50% instead of the 25% Vancouver retained, that would help even out the difference. There are too many teams to break down the same type of offer from but that would be a reasonable framework.
Then there’s Tyler Bertuzzi, a player whose value has probably taken a beating this season. A year ago, he produced like a top-line winger. This year, he can’t stay healthy and has just one goal in 17 games. If you’re Detroit, you’re hyping last season’s numbers. If you’re another team, you’re pointing at how poorly things have gone this season and are offering accordingly. With 50% retention, I could see a team going as high a second-round pick if they think he can rebound and perhaps fit beyond this season. I don’t expect there to be much more of a package than that though unless the acquiring team needs to send some money back.
Johnny Z: What do you think of Larkin being traded to Boston? A Horvat-type return would be DeBrusk, Brett Harrison, and a 23 1st for Larkin at 1/2 salary. Does that sound about right?
I really like the idea of Larkin to Boston in theory (again, this assumes an extension doesn’t get done). Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci aren’t going to be around much longer and at some point, he’s going to need to be replaced. Internally, their options are basically moving Pavel Zacha back down the middle and Charlie Coyle. They’re both good players but neither of them are top centers. Getting and extending Larkin would be a great outcome but fitting him and a re-signed David Pastrnak in could be tricky.
I’m not quite as bullish on the idea of him being a rental player. Yes, this is a go-for-broke type of season but is an acquisition that pushes Krejci to the third line the right move to make? If it’s a pure rental, I think a top-four defender might be the better way to go to work as injury insurance and really deepen that part of their lineup. They’re the top-scoring team and the top defensive team so either way, it’s adding to an organizational strength but I think the back end is the thinner part to address. Don’t get me wrong, Larkin as a rental would certainly help as well but it might not be the most optimal spot to address for a short-term upgrade.
As for the offer, I’m not sure Jake DeBrusk is someone that Boston wants to part with right now. He’s at a considerably higher level than Beauvillier, a player some have suggested that the Isles were open to moving in the past just to get him off the books let alone for a return of quality. That’s a sunk cost whereas DeBrusk is in the middle of a career year. Mike Reilly is more of a salary ballast type of player.
Now, with Boston’s pick set to be considerably lower than New York’s, that prospect needs to be better than Raty. I’m not sure Brett Harrison is, at least to a big enough extent. I could see Detroit wanting Fabian Lysell here, especially if it’s a sign-and-trade while Mason Lohrei could be the difference-splitter as someone that could conceivably push for a spot with Detroit as soon as next season. Is that an offer that would vault them to the top? Perhaps not but it’d be high enough to have them legitimately in the bidding should the Red Wings get to that point if discussions on an extension with Larkin fall apart.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Adam Erne Clears Waivers
02/05/23: Erne has cleared waivers, according to CapFriendly. He’ll now be able to head to AHL Grand Rapids to continue his season.
02/04/23: While the Red Wings are off until Tuesday, they have made a roster move today as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that they’ve placed winger Adam Erne on waivers.
The 27-year-old has played in 43 games with Detroit so far this season, picking up six goals and eight assists while logging just shy of 14 minutes a night. Those numbers are actually better than a year ago on a per-game basis while he has a chance of setting a career high in points if he stays in the NHL and produces at a similar pace the rest of the way. Erne also has recorded 122 hits; his 2.84 per game average is a career best.
With that in mind, it might be a bit surprising to see him on waivers. However, it’s not the riskiest of moves for GM Steve Yzerman as Erne carries a $2.1MM cap hit while he’s eligible for unrestricted free agency for the first time this summer. While Erne would fit on quite a few teams in terms of roster needs, not many of them have enough cap room to try to add him. Filip Zadina is currently on a conditioning loan with AHL Grand Rapids and it’s possible that he’d come back to take Erne’s place in the lineup.
Assuming he clears on Sunday, Erne would be the third veteran Red Wing to be buried in the minors in recent weeks. Jakub Vrana cleared waivers a month ago today while Alex Nedeljkovic was unclaimed two weeks later. Even with those players in the AHL where they still mostly count against Detroit’s salary cap, they project to finish the season with more than $6.5MM in cap space, per CapFriendly so it’s safe to say these moves aren’t cap-related. The Red Wings have some good depth and as their team gets healthier, the roster crunch is starting to be felt. Erne appears to be the next casualty of that.
West Notes: Tarasenko, Kane, Brossoit
Winger Vladimir Tarasenko is representing the Blues at the All-Star Game but with him being in the final year of his contract, it’s fair to wonder how much longer he’ll be a part of the team. Speaking with Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic (subscription link), the 31-year-old declined to comment if his trade request dating back to last season has been rescinded while also indicating that there have been no recent discussions about a possible contract extension. Tarasenko has 10 goals and 19 assists in 38 games so far this season and is expected to be one of the more sought-after rentals for next month’s trade deadline if the Blues are willing to pay down up to half of his $7.5MM AAV.
More from the Western Conference:
- Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane has long been viewed as one of the likely big deals at the trade deadline but The Athletic’s Arthur Staple suggests (subscription link) that there’s an expectation around the league that Kane needs hip surgery which is going to limit his market. If that’s the case, if he opts to play through the injury and wait to have the procedure in the offseason, there’s a good chance he’d miss the start of next season which could hurt his value in free agency. With that in mind, it’s possible that Kane could decide to have the surgery now which would take a big name off the trade market in the coming weeks.
- Golden Knights goaltender Laurent Brossoit admitted to Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Sun that he sometimes feels frustrated that he hasn’t had a chance to get back up to Vegas. He cleared waivers back in November after being cleared to return from his hip injury and he has been down with the Silver Knights ever since. The 29-year-old has a 2.77 GAA with a .906 SV% in 22 games with Henderson and is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer so a return to the top level would certainly help his case on the open market.
PHR Mailbag: Blues, Flyers, Rangers, Penguins, Avalanche, Predators, NHLPA
Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include the future of Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher, the challenges the Penguins will face if they try to rebuild, the trade deadline challenge for the Avalanche, and more. If your question doesn’t appear here, check for it in next weekend’s mailbag. Unless you asked about Dylan Larkin. He’ll be the focus of a bonus mailbag column tomorrow.
Gmm8811: It pains me to say this but I fear the Blues are in need of a major overhaul from top to bottom. Their fiscal situation isn’t sustainable. They need to start stockpiling draft picks. Their reserve list is ok but pretty bare of any significant talent. Tarasenko and O’Reilly could bring some nice draft picks. Parayko has become the fans whipping boy…I can see him being moved. Maybe Krug goes too. Binnington overpaid for the return the team gets from him. Defense needs to get tougher and bottom six forwards need to improve. This team is not set up for the future at all in my opinion.
I would be surprised to see anywhere this level of an overhaul coming from St. Louis in the coming weeks before the deadline. Yes, some changes will be coming, largely because of their cap situation when $10.65MM gets added to their books with the new deals for Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas kick in and that won’t allow them to re-sign or replace both Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan O’Reilly. Barring a drastic improvement over the next few weeks, the pending UFAs could be traded but I doubt we’ll see much more than moving out their rentals by March 3rd.
I do think there’s a desire for the back end to be tougher but this is an easier-said-than-done scenario. Colton Parayko’s injury history hurts his value, as does the fact he’s signed until 2030. There’s some concern that his contract won’t age well. Given his importance on their current back end, I don’t think they want to sell low on him. Torey Krug has four years left at $6.5MM as well. Look at what happened with Shayne Gostisbehere a couple of years ago with Philadelphia having to pay to get the last two years of his deal off their books. I don’t think that’s a route they want to take. Jordan Binnington is in a similar situation, four years left at $6MM is a negative-value deal right now. In the short term, creating a spot for Tyler Tucker to play regularly on the third pairing will give them a bit more physicality while I wouldn’t hold your breath about big improvements coming to the bottom six for cap reasons.
There’s a changing of the guard underway with Kyrou and Thomas becoming the new centerpieces of their forward group. I think that change will continue but it will be gradual. Once some of these longer-term contracts start to get shorter (think a couple of years from now) and become easier to move, that’s when I think we’ll start to see some more of the veteran core changing up.
DonnieBaseBallHOFer: How surprising is it that Fletcher still with the Flyers? If he is allowed to make moves at the deadline, doesn’t that pretty well mean he stays even into next season? Not fair to a potential new GM to let Fletch make any moves now…is Briere ready to take the next step? If so, do they risk losing him to another team by sticking with Fletch now?
I’m not that surprised that Chuck Fletcher is still at the helm for Philadelphia. This season hasn’t been pretty but injuries certainly haven’t helped things which could be a factor. It’s also year one of a coaching change. To me, the fact the team allowed Fletcher to give John Tortorella a four-year, $16MM contract means they still had a lot of faith in him at that time. They’re six points out of a playoff spot despite not having Sean Couturier, Ryan Ellis, and Cam Atkinson all season long. I don’t think there’s a big appetite internally to change things as a result. I wouldn’t say Fletcher has a long leash but I don’t think there will be any restrictions on him at the deadline.
As for Daniel Briere, I don’t think the Flyers are at much risk in terms of losing him. Yes, he was in the mix for Montreal’s job last season but they’re a team that places high importance on speaking French which doesn’t give them a deep pool to choose from. Since then, I don’t think Briere has been a serious candidate for the few openings that have come up.
He’s still pretty inexperienced in the NHL in terms of management. He has been a consultant for a year and a half and a special assistant for a year and a half. Sure, some experience building up ECHL Maine from the ground helps but is he a little too green to take over a team? I think other organizations think he is. Give it a year or two, then he should come up in speculation a bit more. Who knows, perhaps at that time, Fletcher moves up to Team President and Briere takes over as GM, something we’ve seen other organizations do? I’m sure that’s not your favorite scenario but unless this team completely nosedives next season, I wouldn’t be shocked if it happened.
mhaftman7: The Flyers DESPERATELY need to go all in on a rebuild. Is Provorov to the Kings for a package including Byfield realistic? Could Hayes, JVR, Konecny, and Ristolainen all be moved?
On paper, I like the fit of your trade idea. Ivan Provorov would certainly fill a need in Los Angeles and while his value is down, so too is Quinton Byfield’s so it’d be an interesting buy-low move on both sides assuming the other pieces are in place to make the money work (and we’d be talking about needing to match his $6.75MM contract, more or less). Is it realistic right now? I’m not so sure. I think the PR element from what happened last month during Philadelphia’s Pride Night is going to come into play in trade talks. On top of that, these types of trades are likelier to happen at the draft or in the summer than they are now.
As for the need to do a rebuild, I don’t disagree. At best, this is a team that’s spinning its wheels. But a healthy Couturier and Atkinson (I’ll leave Ellis out as who knows if he’ll play again) probably get this team a few more points in the standings and then they’d be right in the Wild Card battle. I don’t see a big blow-it-up scenario happening as a result.
But let’s look at your trade options. Kevin Hayes has too pricey of a contract to move. Same for Rasmus Ristolainen. At best, they’re summer swaps for other expensive deals but I expect them to stay put. I think James van Riemsdyk goes with 50% retention for a draft pick. Travis Konecny though, that one’s tricky. If they intend to go for the playoffs next season, he stays. If they actually consider taking a step back though, this is a sell-high situation for someone in the prime of his career with two years left after this on what’s looking like a team-friendly $5.5MM. I wouldn’t put him in the likely-to-be-dealt category but in the back of my head, he’s an interesting dark horse candidate.
NYRFan 2: The Rangers NEED to get more ❤️ not prettier. Any chance they package some younger talent like Hajek, Robertson, Jones, or Blais and a pick or so for players like Jeannot (who is struggling) and Xhekaj who plays a game Jeff Gorton hates? Instead of multiple firsts and talent for a rental when I don’t think we are there yet. Need guys to hammer pucks and bodies!
Let’s look at your trade chips first. Libor Hajek’s trade value right now is next to non-existent. He can’t go to the minors and hasn’t played well enough to stay in the lineup which has limited him to just ten games. He’s a throw-in piece at this point. So is Sammy Blais who is basically salary ballast. Matthew Robertson still has some value but he’s not a headliner in a move for an impact player. Zachary Jones could be though. I think his value is down a bit this year but there will be rebuilding teams that look at him and think there’s a spot on the depth chart. Jones, a pick, and one of the throw-ins is a package that could be of some interest to fill a need in the coming weeks.
That said, I don’t think Nashville has any interest in selling low on Tanner Jeannot and that trade combo as a result would certainly be selling low. I could see a scenario where Montreal considers moving Arber Xhekaj as they have a lot of left-side depth in their defenseman pipeline but that would be to fill another organizational need, not replacing him with another left-side defender in Jones.
Maybe it’s just me but I don’t look at New York’s back end and think that they need more toughness. Adam Fox is a finesse player, sure, but there isn’t anyone else that I’d put in that category. (Ryan Lindgren isn’t the most physical but he’s capable of playing a hard game.) I think they need an 18-minute player to partner with Braden Schneider, one that can kill penalties and move up if injuries arise. That player doesn’t really profile as the intimidator that you’re aiming for.
Offensively, I think they should be targeting someone that can score as the Rangers have a middle-of-the-pack attack. A key top-six addition could push them closer to a top-ten offense which, coupled with Igor Shesterkin, would make them very dangerous heading into the postseason. They could benefit from adding a heavy player in the bottom six (preferably one that could kill penalties) but you’ll need to set your sights lower than Jeannot.
koz125: I’m embarrassed to be a Penguins fan at the moment. Shouldn’t they just start the rebuild with how terrible GMRH has screwed the team over? Obviously, they’re no longer a serious contender and likely not a playoff team either.
On the surface, it’s one thing to say they should start the rebuild. But how exactly do they do that? Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, and Evgeni Malkin aren’t going anywhere; even if Pittsburgh wanted to move them, I think they’d invoke their no-trade protection. That’s a sizable chunk of their veteran core right there which makes a full-scale rebuild a lot harder to do.
Could they move Jeff Petry? Sure. Jake Guentzel would fetch a nice return as well. But Bryan Rust probably isn’t movable with his long-term contract and lower production. Rickard Rakell has had a nice year but his up-and-down track record will give teams pause, especially in the current cap environment. Jason Zucker would bring back a draft pick at the deadline as a rental so I suppose that’s something but that’s not moving the needle much. Brian Dumoulin has had a tough year so his value isn’t great and I think if they could have moved Marcus Pettersson by now, he’d be playing somewhere else. That doesn’t leave them much of tradable options in terms of their core (or at least higher-priced) players.
This is probably going to sound a little goofy but staying on the current path might make more sense. If you can’t rebuild properly, why go halfway and sit in the mushy middle of non-playoff teams? If the other veterans don’t want to move or can’t be moved, they can’t really do a full-scale rebuild. I agree that this team isn’t a contender but they’re close enough to the playoffs to justify staying the course for now.
It’s not a great spot to be in but quite frankly, none of their options are ideal at this point – do nothing, take a step back to become a non-playoff team that’ll finish 12th in the conference, or spend to try to sneak into a Wild Card spot. If they fall out of the race a bit more in the coming weeks (Tristan Jarry’s injury will play a role there), then sure, flip Zucker and get a future asset for someone that you’d otherwise lose for nothing. But that’s about the only rebuilding move I can see them making over the next few weeks.
Canucks Recall Three Players From AHL Abbotsford
With the Canucks set to return to action on Monday against New Jersey, they’ve made a trio of roster moves, announcing (Twitter link) the recalls of forwards Vasily Podkolzin, Phillip Di Giuseppe, and Nils Aman from Abbotsford of the AHL.
Podkolzin is the headliner of the three. The 21-year-old was a regular last season in Vancouver, picking up 14 goals and 12 assists in 79 games in his rookie campaign and the 2019 first-rounder was expected to take a step forward this year. However, he struggled out of the gate, notching just three assists in 16 games, resulting in him being sent to the AHL back in November. While Podkolzin didn’t light up the scoresheet by any stretch, he still fared reasonably well with Abbotsford, picking up seven goals and 11 helpers in 28 contests prior to the recall. Vancouver had just ten forwards on their roster before the recall so there’s a good chance that Podkolzkin will be in the lineup against the Devils.
This will be the third recall of the year for Di Giuseppe who had been sent back down when Vancouver hit the bye week. The 29-year-old has played just one game with Vancouver so far, his first appearance at the top level since 2020-21. Di Giuseppe has been quite productive in the minors, however, picking up 30 points in 33 games. He has seen NHL action in seven of the last eight seasons, tallying 16 goals and 37 assists in 202 appearances.
Aman, meanwhile, somewhat surprisingly cracked Vancouver’s opening roster out of training camp in his first season in North America. He got into 35 games with the team, logging just over 12 minutes a night but managed just a goal and four assists. That resulted him in him being sent down in late December and the demotion seemed to help him a bit offensively as he was more productive with Abbotsford, collecting four goals and five helpers in 17 contests.
With these moves, Vancouver’s roster now sits at the maximum size of 23 players.
Penguins Recall Dustin Tokarski On An Emergency Basis
It appears that Tristan Jarry won’t be able to return after the All-Star break as the Penguins announced that they’ve recalled goaltender Dustin Tokarski from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on an emergency basis. He had been sent down late last month when Pittsburgh hit their bye week.
The 33-year-old has made two appearances with Pittsburgh this season, posting a 2.67 GAA and a .915 SV%. While it’s a small sample size, both marks are better than his career averages of 3.12 and .902 respectively in 78 appearances over nine seasons. Tokarski has spent the bulk of the campaign in the AHL and has done well with a 2.31 GAA and a .920 SV% in 21 games, numbers that put him in the top eight in both categories.
The Penguins were hoping that Jarry would be able to return from the upper-body injury that has kept him out for the last couple of weeks but that’s unlikely to be the case now. Instead, it will continue to be Casey DeSmith‘s net for the time being as he tries to keep them in the playoff mix. At the moment, Pittsburgh holds a one-point lead on Buffalo for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. Their schedule resumes on Tuesday with a matchup against Colorado.
Sean Couturier Could Return This Season
It has been a tough season for Flyers center Sean Couturier. After it looked like he’d be able to return earlier than expected from a back injury, he suffered a setback in October and eventually required surgery. However, it appears he’ll have a chance of getting back late in the season as GM Chuck Fletcher confirmed to Sam Carchidi of Philly Hockey Now that they haven’t ruled out the veteran returning to the lineup:
He’s been progressing well. I know the surgeon is happy with the progress he’s made. As you ramp up the intensity of the on- and off-ice workouts, hopefully things continue to go as expected, and in that case, it would be great for him to come back this year and get some games.”
We’ll just have to see if there are things that slow down the recovery or not. That’s hard to predict, but right now he’s doing well. We’re certainly not on a fast-track with him. We do things very methodically. At the end of the day, it’s about the long-term and not this year.
When the 30-year-old underwent surgery in late October, the anticipated recovery timeline was three-to-four months so Couturier appears to be on track. But with Philadelphia struggling for most of the year (they currently sit seventh in the Metropolitan Division), it was also a strong possibility that they just held him out for the season to err on the side of caution to avoid any concern about him sustaining another injury.
When healthy, Couturier has been one of the stronger two-way centers in the league and was rewarded for his efforts in 2021 with an eight-year, $62MM contract with 2022-23 being the first year of that deal. Getting him back to top form would go a long way toward boosting Philadelphia’s lineup although that type of performance isn’t likely to come this season after being off for so long. Even so, just getting him back and Couturier showing that he’s healthy would certainly be a welcome sign heading into the offseason.
Snapshots: Skills Results, International Games, Kastelic
The All-Star festivities kicked off on Friday night with the annual Skills Competition which featured some staple events as well as some new outdoor ones. Here is a listing of the winners for each event:
Tendy Tandem
Connor Hellebuyck, WPG/Juuse Saros, NSH (Central Division) – 13 points
Fastest Skater
Andrei Svechnikov, CAR – 13.699 seconds
NHL Pitch ‘n Puck
Nick Suzuki, MTL – 3
Splash Shot
Cale Makar/Mikko Rantanen, COL – 18.7 seconds
Hardest Shot
Elias Pettersson, VAN – 103.2 mph
Breakaway Challenge
Sidney Crosby, PIT/Alex Ovechkin, WSH – 40
Accuracy Shooting
Brock Nelson, NYI – 12.419 seconds
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- It appears that Australia will be where next season gets underway as David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports (Twitter link) that it’s all but a lock that the NHL will have games there to kick things off. He suggests that Boston and Los Angeles are among the teams in the mix to go although the full details won’t be announced until everything is finalized. Games were played in Prague to start this season while there were a pair of games in Tampere as well back in November.
- While there were plenty of players who were sent to the minors during the All-Star break, at least one regular player won’t be getting recalled right away. Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch relays that the Senators’ plan for Mark Kastelic is to keep the forward in the minors once the schedule resumes. The 23-year-old has played in 43 games for Ottawa this season but has been out with a back issue for the last couple of weeks and will get some time to get back into form with AHL Belleville before potentially coming back up later on.