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Arizona Coyotes Send Dylan Guenther To WHL

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The Arizona Coyotes have assigned forward Dylan Guenther to the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds, per a team announcement. Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong issued the following statement regarding this transaction:

Just like the World Junior Championships where Dylan helped lead Canada to a gold medal, this is a tremendous opportunity for him to join a very good Seattle club, play top line minutes, and hopefully lead his team to a Memorial Cup. Dylan has played well for us this season and he has a very bright future with the Coyotes. We look forward to watching his development the rest of the season.

In a corresponding move, the Coyotes have recalled forward Jean-Sebastien Dea from their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners.

As PHNX’s Craig Morgan notes, Guenther was one game away from reaching enough games to accrue a year toward unrestricted free agent status, something that likely played a role in this decision. The Coyotes have already shaved a year off of his entry-level deal by playing him in more than nine games, but since they are now sending him to the WHL Guenther will need to wait a little longer to hit the open market, should that be a route he wishes to take.

The 19-year-old forward was drafted ninth overall by the Coyotes at the 2021 draft, with the pick the team got from the Vancouver Canucks as part of the Oliver Ekman-Larsson/Conor Garland trade. He starred for the Oil Kings the following season, scoring 91 points in 59 games en route a WHL championship.

Guenther made the Coyotes this season and finishes his season with them having played in a total of 33 games. He’s registered a healthy 15 points in that span, and now gets to return to the WHL with added confidence, having tested his mettle against the game’s best players.

Guenther joins the Seattle Thunderbirds, a team that surrendered a significant haul of draft picks to acquire him at the WHL’s trade deadline. The Thunderbirds are a Memorial Cup contender this season and one of the best teams in the WHL, boasting other top prospects such as Brad Lambert (WPG), Kevin Korchinski (CHI), Nolan Allan (CHI), Colton Dach (CHI), Reid Schaefer (EDM), Jordan Gustafson (VGK), Lucas Ciona (CGY), and Jared Davidson (MTL).

He has all the talent within himself and surrounding him to go on an extremely productive run to cap off what has been an encouraging season. He could even add some more silverware in the form of a Memorial Cup and/or WHL Championship after he already captured the World Junior Championships gold medal with Team Canada.

To fill Guenther’s spot on the roster, the Coyotes have recalled an AHL scorer, Dea. The 28-year-old has scored 19 goals and 37 points in 46 AHL games this season and was a top scorer for a Laval Rocket team last season that made it to the Calder Cup Semifinals. The AHL veteran has 33 NHL games on his resume and will now have the chance to skate in his first game in the world’s top league since 2020-21 when he played in one game for the Buffalo Sabres.

New York Islanders Sign Bo Horvat To Eight-Year Contract Extension

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The New York Islanders have agreed to an eight-year contract extension with recent trade acquisition Bo Horvat. The terms of the contract have not been officially disclosed at this time, but Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the extension carries an $8.5MM average annual value. The deal will keep him under contract until he is 36 years old.

As reported by NYI Hockey Now’s Stefen Rosner, Islanders General Manager Lou Lamoriello had the following to say regarding this newly-signed extension: “It’s too long and it’s too much money.”

Lamoriello also noted that the contract was finalized as the first order of business this morning. When the Islanders initially acquired Horvat, the team had not yet discussed the framework for a contract extension.

The contract extension comes after the Islanders made a surprising trade to acquire the former Vancouver Canucks captain. The Islanders, who are already paying contracts with term attached to four centers, were not one of the teams most expected to be in the mix for Horvat’s services.

Given what the Islanders gave up to acquire Horvat, though, (a first-round pick Anthony Beauvillier, and prospect Aatu Raty) it makes sense that the team would be interested in retaining Horvat beyond this season.

The presence of Mathew Barzal ($9.15MM through 2031, kicking in next season), Brock Nelson ($6MM through 2025), Jean-Gabriel Pageau ($5MM through 2026) and Casey Cizikas ($2.5MM through 2027) didn’t stop Lamoriello from taking out his checkbook to pay for another pivot. With Horvat locked into the team’s forward core for the rest of the decade, it seems one of those Islanders will at least in the short term switch to the wing.

Horvat earns this max-term contract extension on the heels of the best offensive season of his career. Horvat’s career high in points is 61, and with 54 in 49 games this season he looks on pace to fly past that mark.

He already has 31 goals this year, which matches his previous high that he set last season. A two-time All-Star, Horvat is respected across the NHL for his leadership and two-way ability. Horvat has served as the Canucks’ captain for the past four years.

In his one taste of playoff action, he scored 12 points in 17 games, leading the Canucks to an upset victory over the St. Louis Blues in the first round and then through a seven-game dogfight where they nearly knocked off the first-seeded Vegas Golden Knights.

The playoffs are exactly where the Islanders are hoping to end up with Horvat, and despite long odds for this season this extension seems to be the franchise doubling down on their short-term competitive goals. It was only a short time ago that the Islanders looked like the second-best team in the NHL, losing back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the latter series going all seven games.

At the moment, the Islanders sit sixth in the Metropolitan Division with 25-22-5 record and 55 points. While they’re technically just two points back of the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final Wild Card spot, the Penguins have three games in hand, and the Buffalo Sabres (who are above the Islanders with 56 points) have two games in hand.

Even if the Islanders fail to make the playoffs this season, it’s true that this extension will improve their team’s odds of getting there in subsequent seasons. Horvat is an unquestionably talented player and someone who can be a great second-line pivot on a contending team. The Islanders have Barzal as their incumbent first-line center, though it’s possible that this signing shifts Barzal to Horvat’s wing.

Horvat is one of the league’s better players at the faceoff dot, and has won 56% of his draws this season. In contrast, Barzal has won just 35.9% of his draws. Should head coach Lane Lambert prefer a better face-off man as his first-line center, Barzal could very well end up on the wing moving forward.

The Islanders have quite a few pricey contracts for veteran forwards on their books, and this deal only adds to it. Barzal, Nelson, Pageau, Anders Lee, Josh Bailey, Kyle Palmieri, Ryan Pulock, and Adam Pelech are all under contract beyond this season at above a $5MM cap hit. Horvat adds an $8.5MM hit on top of that and leaves the Islanders in a relatively precarious salary cap position.

With so much of their core locked into contracts, the team has been left with precious little wiggle room to make changes and upgrades to their roster. A rise in the salary cap would benefit them enormously, especially as Ilya Sorokin is scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2024.

This is an Islanders team that has severely underperformed relative to what their veteran players have been capable of producing in the past. If Lambert and his coaching staff can get a few of these underperforming veterans to pick things up, then this can be a very competitive team in the near future.

But that’s far from a given, and many of their players have been trending downward for multiple seasons. Such a trajectory might cause some franchises to consider pivoting toward younger players and building toward another competitive window. Other franchises, like the Islanders here with this extension, choose to acquire more veteran talent to supplement the players they already have.

There’s no exact right answer to the question of what to do with an underperforming team. There are major risks to trading quality players for draft picks and prospects, and the allure of a low-pressure rebuild can shroud the very real possibility that the prospects acquired don’t pan out and the draft picks selected don’t meet expectations.

Building a competitive NHL team is hard. It’s a steep challenge, and while Lamoriello himself stated that the price tag attached to this deal is a bit high, it’s also unavoidable. Giving talented players contracts that might be somewhat unsavory is simply the cost of doing business in the NHL. if a team wants to get better, this is usually the area of the market they need to shop in.

Is this extension risky? Absolutely. The Islanders could continue their downward trend and be locked into another pricey contract for an aging veteran. The deal would absolutely be a setback. But looking at things more generously, Horvat could be exactly the kind of player the Islanders need to spark a team-wide resurgence.

Although those long-term question marks linger, the Islanders have unquestionably improved with Horvat’s acquisition. With this Horvat extension, they have ensured the source of that improvement doesn’t end up leaving for another team in just a few months, which is a bit of business that’s difficult to complain about.

San Jose Sharks Activate, Re-Assign Nikolai Knyzhov

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The San Jose Sharks have announced that defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov has been activated from his long-term injury conditioning loan, and re-assigned to the Sharks’ AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda.

This return is a long time coming for Knyzhov, 24, who has been recovering from an Achilles injury for over a year. Before his conditioning stint began in January, Knyzhov had last played competitive hockey in May 2021, when he skated in over 21 minutes of a Sharks 6-0 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.

Before his injury, Knyzhov had steadily developed for the Sharks, going from a depth defenseman in 2019-20 to a candidate for top-four ice time in 2020-21. He’d taken a bit of a wild road to that point, with stops in the WHL, his native Russia, and the NAHL.

Now, Knyzhov has worked his way back to full health and has re-entered the Sharks’ defensive picture. He’s largely skated in a top-four role during his three-game conditioning stint with the Barracuda and will head back there to in all likelihood play a major role for the squad.

The Sharks currently carry seven defenseman, five of whom either have significant NHL experience or have been leaned on by coach David Quinn. It’s possible that Knyzhov unseats Scott Harrington or Jacob MacDonald for a role in the NHL lineup, although he’ll likely need to spend some time in the AHL getting back up to speed first.

Calgary Flames Recall Jakob Pelletier, Dennis Gilbert

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The Calgary Flames have announced that forward Jakob Pelletier and defenseman Dennis Gilbert have been recalled from the team’s AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers. The two recalls fill two vacant spots on the Flames’ roster, leaving them with 22 out of 23 used spaces on their active roster.

Pelletier, 21, is the bigger name in this duo. He’s a 2019 first-round pick who is among the Flames’ top prospects, recently ranked third in their system by The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler. (subscription link) Pelletier was first called up to the NHL in January and ended up playing four games for coach Darryl Sutter’s side.

Sutter’s cold evaluation of Pelletier’s NHL debut to the media made headlines, and in his first two games, Pelletier got just 6:50 and 7:36 time on the ice, respectively. His ice time ticked up in his final two games, though he didn’t manage to register his first NHL point.

Pelletier is a talented offensive player who has scored very well at the junior and AHL levels. He has 36 points in 33 games for the Wranglers this season and has been a point-per-game player in his 99-game AHL career. He’ll be able to provide an offensive spark to the Flames’ lineup as they prepare for a road trip.

Gilbert, 26, is not nearly as flashy of a recall but does have more NHL experience than Pelletier. The American blueliner has played in 34 career NHL games, nine of which have come this season. He last played in the NHL on January 27th, logging just over 13 minutes in a 5-2 victory over the Seattle Kraken.

Now back on the NHL roster, it’s likely that Gilbert will serve as the team’s seventh defenseman for the duration of their road trip, if not longer. He seems to have settled nicely into his role as a priority call-up and number-eight or nine blueliner on the Flames’ depth chart and gives the organization top-four play in the AHL as well as competence in limited minutes in the NHL.

Trade Deadline Primer: Boston Bruins

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With the All-Star break now upon us, the trade deadline looms large and is just over a month away. Where does each team stand and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Boston Bruins.

Unlike the two prior teams covered in this series, the Anaheim Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks, the Boston Bruins’ goal is not to sink as far down in the standings as possible to ensure the best possible chance at landing Connor Bedard. In fact, the Bruins’ play so far this season makes such a plan at this point almost impossible.

The Bruins have been the best team in hockey so far this season, and it’s not really up for debate. The team is 39-7-2 with 83 points.

Last season, the Washington Capitals made the playoffs out of the Eastern Conference. They won 44 games.

The Bruins have already won 39.

This is a team looking to win a Stanley Cup this season, a year that could potentially be the final campaign for core pieces such as Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci.

But where the trade deadline is concerned, the team’s success is a double-edged sword. On one hand, the Bruins players have absolutely earned some reinforcements. Should GM Don Sweeney remain entirely passive during the trade frenzy, that could send a poor message to the Bruins’ players, that their immense efforts this season were not rewarded with some additions to their lineup. But on the other hand, it would be reasonable for Boston to be weary of making changes to a lineup formula that has worked so well.

That leaves the team in an intriguing position heading into trade season. There are definitely ways for Boston to bolster its already formidable lineup, and there are quite a few high-end players who would fit very well in coach Jim Montgomery’s lineup. But with how well the team has done as currently constructed, the team’s trade deadline strategy may not be as simple as just trying to add the most talented player available.

Record

39-7-2, 1st in Atlantic

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$3.25MM today, $3.25MM in deadline space, 0/3 retention slots used, 47/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2023: BOS 1st, BOS 3rd, BOS 4th, BOS 5th, BOS 6th, BOS 7th, LAK 7th

2024: BOS 1st, BOS 3rd, BOS 4th, BOS 5th, BOS 6th

Trade Chips

This is where things get a bit more complicated. The Bruins’ success this season makes it unlikely that they would entertain removing a roster player from their lineup as part of a trade. It’s not impossible, of course, but subtracting from the current lineup in order to add outside talent would be a risk.

But on the other hand, it may be a risk the Bruins are forced to take. Outside of players currently on their roster, the Bruins have one of the thinner pools of assets to deal from in the entire NHL. The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler recently ranked the Bruins’ prospect pool as the 30th-best in the NHL, and the team is missing both this year and next year’s second-round picks. (subscription link)

So if the Bruins want to go all-in on this season and have the best chance at putting together a winning offer for a top-end player, their best trade chip is likely 2021 first-round pick Fabian Lysell. Lysell, 20, has played this season for the Providence Bruins, and scored decently well. He has 22 points in 27 games, and has the potential to be a top-six forward in the NHL.

Like any prospect, there are question marks regarding Lysell’s future and the eventual NHL career he’ll end up having. But he’s an undoubtedly talented offensive threat and clearly the Bruins’ top prospect. If the team is engaged on a player such as Timo Meier, the Bruins may not be able to compete with the offers other clubs can make without including Lysell.

Other trade chips from the team’s prospect pool include Ohio State defenseman Mason Lohrei, undrafted winger Georgii Merkulov, and OHLer Matthew Poitras, though it’s unlikely anyone in that trio would be able to center a trade offer the way Lysell could.

Should the Bruins be forced to deal from their NHL roster in order to get a trade over the line, potential names they could deal include speedy winger Jakub Lauko, whose path to success on the team’s left side seems cloudy, or Trent Frederic, who is in the midst of a breakout year offensively but will be an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent in the summer.

Other potential trade chips: 2023 first-round pick, 2024 first-round pick, Jakub Zboril, Mike Reilly, John Beecher

Team Needs

1) Another high-end offensive weapon: It’s difficult to really pick any major “needs” on the Bruins’ roster, as the team is extremely well-rounded. When the roster is at full health, 2018 Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall is the Bruins’ third-line left winger. That’s the kind of depth and roster balance most teams can only dream of. But if there’s one thing the team could prioritize going into the deadline, it’s adding another high-end piece to really solidify their spot at the top of the NHL. Sweeney hasn’t been shy about adding big-name players in the past, whether it’s in trades for players such as Hall, Hampus Lindholm, or Rick Nash. If the Bruins are committed to going all-in on this year’s team, they could shop at the top of the market once again.

2) Left-Shot Defenseman: At the current moment, the Bruins have Reilly, an NHL veteran, in the AHL due to not only his cap hit but also the immense amount of depth the team has on the left side of their defense. But if the Bruins want to add major cap dollars to their roster, trading Reilly could be one of the more viable ways for the team to get that done. In that case, adding another left-shot defenseman could end up being a priority. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman wrote on his 32 thoughts column that the Bruins are “believed to be in the left-defense market,” citing names such as Jakob Chychrun and Vladislav Gavrikov as possibilities.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Evening Notes: Nyquist, Sasson, Salo

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The Columbus Blue Jackets got some bad news when it was announced on February 1st that veteran forward Gustav Nyquist would miss the rest of the regular season. Not only would Nyquist’s absence be felt by the Blue Jackets on the ice, but many were disappointed that Columbus would not have the opportunity to trade Nyquist in order to recoup some assets before his contract expires at the end of this season.

According to TSN’s Chris Johnston, a trade is still a possibility. On TSN’s Insider Trading segment, Johnston reports that because of Nyquist’s injury, the ability of teams to place Nyquist on long-term injured reserve to “stash” Nyquist until the playoffs (when the salary cap is no longer a consideration) he has actually become a more attractive trade candidate. Nyquist is a three-time 20-goal scorer and should be able to help a team looking to reinforce its scoring attack,

Some other notes from across the hockey world:

  • The Colorado Avalanche could be eyeing some potential college free agents. Dater on Hockey’s Adrian Dater reports that the Avalanche are interested in Western Michigan center Max Sasson. Sasson, 22, is an undrafted player who has scored 31 points in 28 games so far this season. Should Sasson sign in Colorado, he would add to the Avalanche’s record of picking from the college free agent ranks, something they did last year when they inked Olympian Ben Meyers to his entry-level deal.
  • The Connecticut Post’s Michael Fornabaio reports that New York Islanders defenseman Robin Salo is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Salo, 24, is currently with the Islanders’ AHL affiliate in Bridgeport, and has four points in 12 games. While it is unclear whether this injury has any long-term implications, it could impact his viability for a call-up should the Islanders wish to shake up their current defensive arrangement.

Minor Transactions: 02/03/23

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While the NHL takes a brief pause to celebrate the league’s biggest stars in the All-Star Weekend, teams in minor leagues and foreign leagues are pressing forward with their respective seasons and making tweaks to their rosters. We’ll keep track of those moves here.

  • Former Detroit Red Wings farmhand Jussi Olkinoura has found his new team after securing his contract termination two days ago. Per a team announcement, the 32-year-old goalie has signed with Brynas IF, a club in the SHL. This signing marks Olkinoura’s first venture into Sweden’s top league, having already tended the crease for teams in Liiga and the KHL. Brynas’ starter this season, former NHLer Anders Lindback, has struggled to the tune of an .896 save percentage in 31 games played. He’ll now have to contend with Olkinoura, an Olympic Gold Medalist, to remain Brynas’ number-one netminder.
  • Dallas Stars prospect Antonio Stranges has been re-assigned to the Stars’ ECHL affiliate, the Idaho Steelheads. This is the second time this season Stranges has been sent to the ECHL, with the first demotion coming in December. The former OHL star hasn’t played since January 14th, and will now head back to the ECHL with the hope of getting his season back on track. Stranges has been productive in his limited action in the ECHL, scoring six points in five games, but his time in the American league has been uneven.
  • Former Ferris State University captain Liam MacDougall is headed overseas. The 25-year-old forward has signed with the Fife Flyers, a club in the EIHL, the top division of professional hockey in the United Kingdom. MacDougall heads to Scotland after an unsuccessful professional debut in the ECHL. He got a short cameo on an amateur tryout agreement with the Cincinnati Cyclones near the end of last season, registering a goal in six games. He signed with the Norfolk Admirals for this season to begin his ECHL career in earnest but struggled to make an impact, and after scoring just three points in 17 games he was released. Now nearly two months after receiving his release, MacDougall has a new team to continue his pro career with.
  • The ECHL’s Norfolk Admirals have released netminder Michael Bullion. The 25-year-old Alaska native made his pro debut with the team last season, signing after a few years of playing at the Canadian university level. He was solid in his nine-game trial run, posting a .912 save percentage and 2.67 goals-against-average. This season Bullion and the Admirals have struggled mightily to keep the puck out of the net. Through 18 games Bullion has a 3-11-2 record, a 4.08 goals-against-average, and an .877 save percentage, and now both Bullion and the Admirals will part ways seeking other options.
  • Former Boston College netminder Eric Dop has signed with the ECHL’s Wichita Thunder. The deal marks the Thunder as Dop’s fourth team of what has been quite the professional debut. After playing last season as Boston College’s starter, Dop, 24, turned pro this year and signed with the Tulsa Oilers. After three games where Dop was used only in relief for the team’s starter, he posted an .854 save percentage and as promptly traded to the Allen Americans. Dop started one game for the Americans, saving 34 out of 39 shots, and played once in relief, before he was released. He then earned a PTO with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters before signing with the Utah Grizzlies. Dop started one game for Utah, a 6-2 loss to the Steelheads, and was released a few days later. With today’s signing, he now finds himself in Wichita with a chance to back up starter Evan Buitenhuis.
  • Danish forward Morten Jensen has signed a two-year extension to remain with his current team, Denmark’s Rungsted Seier Capital. Jensen is a star defenseman in Denmark’s Metal Ligaen, with 143 points in 177 career games there. The two-time Danish champion will look to help rise from their third-to-last place in the standings.

This page will be updated throughout the day. 

Latest On Nikita Tryamkin

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Former Vancouver Canuck Nikita Tryamkin hasn’t played in North America since the 2016-17 season, but he could be nearing a return. CHEK TV’s Rick Dhaliwal quoted Tryamkin’s agent, Todd Diamond, as making the following statement regarding his client.

There will be tremendous demand for Nikita. Nikita has turned down a contract extension from his KHL Club. He is currently focused on the KHL season, then we will turn our focus to the NHL.

Tryamkin is in his sixth KHL season since signing there from Vancouver, and is a former Canucks third-round pick who ended up playing a total of 79 games for the club.

It’s not difficult to understand why Diamond is so optimistic about the interest his client will have in the offseason. While Tryamkin’s time in the NHL was hardly a smooth ride, there is some precedent for a talented Russian player to have an uneven first go-around in the NHL, move to the KHL, and then return as a more experienced, mature, capable difference-maker.

The Montreal Canadiens took a chance on a player of that mold, Alexander Radulov, in the summer of 2016 and the choice paid off for them in spades, with Radulov moving on to Dallas where he would score 72 points in back-to-back seasons.

In Tryamkin’s case, much of the intrigue surrounding his return to the NHL centers around one number: 202.

That’s how many centimeters tall Tryamkin is, and as his six-foot-eight, 258-pound defenseman he would be among the biggest in the entire NHL.

While teams are more and more willing to take chances on smaller defensemen, there is still a prevailing attitude among NHL decision-makers that size is a valuable component of a defenseman’s overall value.

If a team wants to add some muscle to their blueline, Tryamkin will be an intriguing option. The tallest defenseman set to be on the open market this summer is Chicago Blackhawks blueliner Jarred Tinordi, who stands at six-foot-six. Carson Soucy, Ryan Graves, and Scott Mayfield all stand six-foot-five, meaning the market does have some options for teams who want to beef up their back end. None of those options are quite as big as Tryamkin, and that could be what sets him apart on the market as he attempts his return to the NHL.

Being big is not the only thing that a defenseman has to do to be successful in the NHL, though, otherwise Tinordi wouldn’t have been available to the Blackhawks on waivers earlier this season. A major element of being successful defensively is an ability to exit the defensive zone, and that can be something slower-footed physical defensemen can struggle with.

Something that will certainly help Tryamkin, then, is the fact that he is a surprisingly good skater for someone his size. His skating doesn’t translate to a high offensive impact, and his points production in the KHL is rather meager. But characterizing Tryamkin as simply a big, slow, throwback stay-at-home blueliner would be shortsighted.

Diamond noted, Tryamkin has rejected a contract offer from his KHL team and has his sights firmly fixed on a return to the NHL for next fall. Whereas Vancouver once held the exclusive rights to sign Tryamkin, he is now free from that restriction and able to sign with any NHL team he chooses.

It’s possible that Tryamkin has the sort of lengthy courting process Andrei Kuzmenko had last year. But important to note is the fact that Kuzmenko was restricted to signing an entry-level deal, while Tryamkin’s NHL experience allows him more options for what contract to sign. Since the financial restrictions placed on Kuzmenko’s contract made his choice more about fit and location than cost, the lengthy process including visits to multiple markets made sense.

Since Tryamkin doesn’t have those restrictions, he may not view such a process as necessary and could end up entering the market and operating as any other conventional free agent would.

Since it’s still relatively unknown how Tryamkin will fare in his return to the NHL, it seems likely that he’d prefer to sign the sort of contract Radulov received from the Canadiens, which is a short-term deal that maximizes his opportunity to land a lucrative deal the following summer, while also minimizing the risk of the investment for the team he signs with.

The upcoming free agent market seems at the moment filled with some talented blueliners for NHL teams to choose from. While Tryamkin, a three-time KHL All-Star, is far from the safest investment of the bunch, he could be one of the more intriguing options available.

Pictures Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Montreal Canadiens Reportedly Unlikely To Trade Josh Anderson

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While the Montreal Canadiens appear to be in the midst of a second-straight season without a playoff berth, the upcoming trade deadline does present some opportunities for GM Kent Hughes and his organization to make some strides as they look to build for the long term.

One of the players whose name frequently comes up as a veteran the Canadiens could potentially trade is forward Josh Anderson.

On TSN’s Insider Trading segment, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that “the only way” that Anderson is traded is if another club “makes an offer that the Montreal Canadiens simply can’t refuse.” Dreger cites GM Brad Treliving and the Calgary Flames as a team historically that has “expressed interest in Josh Anderson,” but notes that the Canadiens would “prefer to keep” their power forward because he has a long-term contract that the team views as a solid investment.

For some, this report may cause some confusion. The Canadiens are a team looking to add younger players and draft picks in order to build a future contender, and if, as Dreger says, teams keep calling with interest in Anderson, it stands to reason that the most prudent path forward for their chosen path would be to cash in on their 28-year-old scorer.

But based on Dreger’s reporting and other reports that have come out in the past, it seems that the Canadiens have never truly considered dealing Anderson for anything less than a king’s ransom. While it’s entirely possible that these media reports are simply a product of the Canadiens’ front office attempting to place themselves in as advantageous a position as possible for trade negotiations, it’s perhaps even more likely that the team is genuinely interested in keeping Anderson in Montreal.

Breaking down why the Canadiens, who came in last place in 2021-22 and have struggled quite a bit this year, would rather retain Anderson than trade him is somewhat challenging.

There is a stark mismatch in the public and inside opinion on Josh Anderson’s worth, with executives admiring his blend of size and speed despite significant outside criticism of his performance and cost.

This season, Anderson is on pace to score 23 goals and 31 points. A 23-goal scorer is certainly useful, but there aren’t many NHL players who just barely manage to cross the 30-point plateau and make over $5MM on a long-term contract, especially if that deal takes him into his mid-thirties.

But despite that lackluster production, Anderson still seems to be a coveted player in the eyes of executives across the NHL.

There are many highly-paid players whose play has made them essentially unmoveable, players whose cost against the salary cap far outweighs their on-ice contributions, killing any outside interest in acquiring their services.

Anderson does not appear to be one of those “unmoveable” players, despite his lengthy contract.

There are doubtless many executives who see the struggles the Canadiens have faced in terms of creating goals and believe that, were Anderson on a more consistently functional scoring line, his production would rise to a level more in line with the talent he flashes.

There is definitely some merit to that view, and there are games where Anderson certainly makes a strong case that he’s capable of scoring more than he has in Montreal so far.

One can understand that Anderson has a rare, valuable combination of traits, though, while also maintaining a healthy skepticism over how his game will age as he enters his thirties, especially since his contract stretches until the summer of 2027. Like with many players whose play invites debate over their true value, the reality of Anderson’s value likely lies somewhere in the middle of the two extremes.

But it seems that in order to have any chance of presenting the Canadiens with an offer they deem acceptable for Anderson, a club will need to be a believer, an organization that has fully bought into the idea that Anderson will be able to reach a higher level of production in a new, more favorable offensive environment.

As Dreger mentioned, the Flames have had interest and could be that sort of team. Anderson certainly does fit the type of player coach Darryl Sutter seems to prefer, and the Flames could feel that they’re in more need of a power forward due to the off-season departure of Matthew Tkachuk.

Unless the trade rumors surrounding Anderson become more concrete, though, the likeliest outcome will remain that the Canadiens will simply hold onto Anderson in the hopes that he can be a veteran leader for their next contending team. But even if the most likely outcome is that a trade does not materialize, Anderson will remain one of the more intriguing — and divisive — names in the rumor mill until the March 3rd trade deadline.

Pictures courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Rudolfs Balcers Clears Waivers

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Jan 30: Balcers has cleared waivers and can now be officially assigned to the AHL.

Jan 29: The Tampa Bay Lightning have placed forward Rudolfs Balcers on waivers, according to CapFriendly. The move comes after Balcers finished his conditioning loan to the Lightning’s AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, today.

Balcers, 25, hasn’t played in an NHL game since November as he was dealing with an upper-body injury. This is not his first time on waivers this season, as he was claimed off of waivers by the Lightning in November.

Balcers’ injury means that he has only played in three games for the Lightning, despite being on their roster for quite a bit of time. In those three games, Balcers scored a goal and averaged just under seven minutes of ice time per game. His full-season total production is five points through 17 games, which is a decline from the rate he scored last year.

If he ends up clearing waivers, Balcers will head back to the AHL level in Syracuse where he’s had success. Balcers has 117 points in 149 career AHL games, so he should be able to help the Crunch’s scoring attack should he end up there.

Otherwise, teams across the league will have a chance to reinforce their group of forwards with Balcers should they want to place a claim. Balcers is available at a league-minimum price, and has 170 NHL games on his resume.

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