Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

NHL Snapshots: Jankowski, Chelios, Pastrnak, Dostie, Hintz

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Buffalo Sabres continue to do some management restructuring today, announcing the hiring of Ryan Jankowski to be the new director of amateur scouting. The team is also promoting Scott Crisp to be the assistant director of amateur scouting. Jankowski, who spent the last four years with Hockey Canada and served as the director of amateur of scouting there, now comes to join Jason Botterill and his new staff. He was responsible for selecting and evaluating players for Canada’s national junior team as well as under-18 and under-17 programs. He has also previously worked as a scout for the Montreal Canadiens and an assistant general manager for the New York Islanders, and had a hand in drafting current Sabres’ Kyle Okposo. Crisp, the team’s former head scout, has been scouting for 17 years, including the Calgary Flames and the Anaheim Ducks.

  • About a month ago, PHR reported that Chris Chelios was leaving the Detroit Red Wings organization. The part-time assistant coach was reportedly trying to gain a position with the NHL Players’ Association. However, Chelios might not be as gone as some think. According to NBC Sports’ Cam Tucker, Chelios was recently seen at the Red Wings development camp and is still listed as an assistant coach on the team’s website. HockeyBuzz’s Bob Duff interviewed him and Chelios says he just took a leave of absence to explore a possible job with the NHLPA, but had always intended to return to the Red Wings if that didn’t come through. However, there is no indication that he did or didn’t get a position with the NHLPA yet.
  • WEEI’s Ty Anderson tweets that Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said today the team has made no progress on a new contract for restricted free agent David Pastrnak. The 21-year-old first-round pick in 2014 had a breakout season last year, putting up 34 goals and 70 points. The Bruins tweeted they are negotiating with several teams about trades and haven’t closed the doors on unrestricted free agent Drew Stafford.
  • The Anaheim Ducks signed 2016 fourth-round pick Alex Dostie to a three-year entry-level contract, according to Sportsnet. The 20-year-old center spent the year playing for three teams, including the Gatineau Olympiques and the Charlottetown Islanders of the QMJHL, where he combined to put up 30 goals and 41 assists between the two teams. He also played one playoff game for the AHL’s San Diego Gulls without registering a point.
  • The Dallas Stars tweeted that 2015 second-rounder Roope Hintz will likely come over to the United States to play hockey this season after a breakout year for HIFK Helsinki team in Finland. The 20-year-old scored 19 goals and 11 assists in 44 games last year.

Rangers Ready To Move Nick Holden For Help At Center

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Don’t be surprised if the New York Rangers move out defenseman Nick Holden in the coming weeks. After signing Kevin Shattenkirk and re-signing Brendan Smith to long-term contracts last week, the Rangers now have five solid defensemen and rather than have Holden languish on one of the bottom-six defensive rotation spots, the team may be ready to use the veteran defender as a trade chip to acquire a center. According to the New York Post’s Larry Brooks, the Rangers might be looking to use Holden to go after Toronto’s Tyler Bozak if the Maple Leafs make the 31-year-old center available now that they have signed Patrick Marleau to a three-year contract.

Toronto, which is currently over the cap by $3.9MM (via Cap Friendly) after the signing, must make a move to get them below the cap. Bozak would make sense as he is on the last year of his contract at $4.2MM and is not likely to be resigned with the Maple Leafs cap issues that will be greeting them in the future. Bozak had a productive season with Toronto last year, putting up 18 goals and 37 assists, while averaging 16:26 of time on the ice. The Rangers, who traded away center Derek Stepan to Arizona to free up some cap space to invest in their defense, must find help to fill that vacant center position as the team currently only has Kevin Hayes, Mika Zibanejad, J.T. Miller and recent free agent acquisition David Desharnais on its roster at that position. Bozak would provide that much needed depth and could even earn a spot as the team’s second center, according to Brooks.

The Rangers don’t need Holden as much on defense as they also have two young defenders who are ready to contribute on defense in 23-year-old Brady Skjei, who had a solid season for the Rangers last year, and 21-year-old Anthony DeAngelo, who they picked up in the Stepan deal. While the Leafs did just sign 36-year-old veteran Ron Hainsey from the Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins to add to their defense, adding a quality veteran like Holden might be a good fit and offer defensive depth they currently do not have.

 

Florida Panthers To Give Tippett Every Chance To Make Team

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Since taking back control of the Florida Panthers franchise in April, general manager Dale Tallon has been busy reshaping his roster this offseason after the team failed to make the playoffs this past year. He unloaded young wing Reilly Smith and his large contract to Vegas along with soon-to-be unrestricted free agent Jon Marchessault to remove future cap problems that likely would have arisen. He handed out a one-year deal to free agent scorer Radim Vrbata to make up for some of that goal scoring and brought back former Panther Evgeni Dadonov from the KHL on a reasonable three-year deal. He also re-signed penalty killing defenseman Mark Pysyk to a three-year deal. However, his focus has been on building a team around its youthful core, including Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov, Vincent Trocheck, Nick Bjugstad and defenseman Aaron Ekblad, all who are 24 years of age or under and already locked up long-term. However, the Panthers might be ready to add another name to that list.

The Panthers seem ready to give their 2017 first-rounder Owen Tippett every chance to join their young team immediately, according to NBC Sports Adam Gretz. After an impressive showing at their development camp, Tallon was quick to point out that Tippett will be given every opportunity to make the squad this year.

“He’s going to get every opportunity,” said Tallon (via the Panthers). “I don’t have any problem and [head coach Bob Boughner] and our coaching staff don’t have any issues playing young guys. We’re building a team that’s going to be around for a long time and we’ll give him every opportunity to play this year.”

Tippett, who is a pure scorer, would fill a major need as many of their top players are playmakers rather than goal producers. The 18-year-old is coming off a season in which he scored 44 goals for Mississaugua Steelheads in the OHL last year. He was ranked as the seventh-best North American skater by NHL.com.

Kane Might Stay In Buffalo For Now

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Just a month ago, rumors were circulating that the Buffalo Sabres new general manager Jason Botterill was considering trading goal-scoring wing Evander Kane, but wouldn’t make a decision until the team hired their new head coach. However, the general belief is held that while the controversial star forward put together a strong season for the Sabres this past year, he may not be in the team’s long-term plans as he has just one year remaining on his contract. However, despite that fact, Kane’s name has barely surfaced in the rumor mill this past month and he remains on the Sabres roster, looking more and more like he will stay there. In fact, TSN’s Darren Dreger recently said on a radio show that he envisions Kane being on the Sabres roster when the season starts.

The Hockey News’ Lyle Richardson writes that is likely the case, but it’s still too early to make that type of prediction. There are several teams that fell short of nabbing a big-name scorer this offseason and Kane’s name could begin to resurface as a possible trade acquisition for one of those franchises. Richardson cites two teams who could be likely possibilities, including the Anaheim Ducks and the San Jose Sharks. However, both have their detractors as well. The Ducks could use Kane and might be a perfect fit, but after the team lost Shea Theodore to the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft, they might not want to move another defenseman right now. The Sharks, who lost Patrick Marleau last week to Toronto, would be the perfect team to go after Kane, but might not have the defensive assets that Buffalo would be looking for. Other teams in the past have shown interest in Kane, and while a handful of free agent scorers still remain available on the market, those options are dwindling quickly.

However, it’s also quite possible, the team wants to see what exactly it has in the 25-year-old physical wing. The former fourth-overall pick in 2009, Kane has always had a tremendous amount of potential, but has rarely put together that big season. He only has one 30-goal season, back in the 2011-12 season with Winnipeg. However, last year’s 28-goal output was his second best season and it could have been even better, but Kane struggled at the start of the season, not scoring a goal until his 13th game of the year. Throw in several run-ins with the police and other legal troubles, there are a lot of questions surrounding him which might be undercutting his value. Perhaps, keeping him around and making a decision on him nearer to the trade deadline next year would make more sense and could provide a bigger payday than moving him now while many of those questions about him still linger.

Rangers Must Begin To Worry About McDonagh

at CDT | by 6 Comments

The New York Rangers have emphasized defense this offseason with the signing of top free agent Kevin Shattenkirk and the re-signing of trade deadline acquisition Brendan Smith. Between the two of them, the Rangers have exactly $11MM per year locked up until the 2020-21 season. Tie in the $5.7MM invested in veteran Marc Staal, who not that long ago was being discussed as a buyout candidate, and New York has $16.7MM invested in three veteran defensemen over the next four years. That’s all well and good (even if Staal proves to be worth that type of money). The Rangers wanted to beef up their defense and they have done that even if it’s at the cost of their offense. However, there is one key aspect missing in their defense. Ryan McDonagh.

Yes, the team captain – heart and soul of their defense. He’s only locked in at a very reasonable $4.7MM for the next two years and the New York Post’s Larry Brooks suggests that he is the third most underpaid player in the NHL, which may cause the Rangers some problems in two years when he becomes a unrestricted free agent in the 2019-2020 season. Listing just Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby and the New York Islanders’ John Tavares as the most underpaid, the scribe writes that while Crosby’s career is cemented in Pittsburgh, that may not be the case for Tavares, who is currently making the Islanders sweat and possibly consider trading him before he leaves New York for nothing. That may be the same story for McDonough one year after that.

McDonough has two years to decide whether he wants to spend the rest of his career in New York. Brooks writes that he may be interested in returning home to Minnesota and joining a Wild team that should have the money to pay him handsomely in two years. Everything may come down to how he enjoys playing with offensively-gifted Kevin Shattenkirk compared to his previous long-time partner, defensively-gifted Dan Girardi. In the end, it may come down to money and whether the Rangers are willing to commit what is likely to be $7-8MM per year for possibly seven or eight years to keep their then-30-year-old captain when they are already overloaded with a large number of defensive contracts. The point is that McDonough will not make it to free agency as a Ranger. He will have enough power, like Tavares does with the Islanders now, to command whether he gets that long-term deal as a Ranger or force them into dealing him in a year.

Blues Youth Movement Is Already Here

at CDT | by 3 Comments

When you think about the St. Louis Blues team, youth isn’t necessarily the first word that comes up. While the team is hardly old, the Blues roster is full of veteran players like Paul Statstny, Alexander Steen, Jay Bouwmeester and Patrik Berglund. They also have a group of players entering their prime now, names such as Vladimir Tarasenko, Alex Pietrangelo and the recently acquired Brayden Schenn, who they traded their first-round pick for.

The point is that no one thinks of the Blues as a young team, yet Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that surprisingly, St. Louis may have as many as nine or even 10 players who are 24 years old or younger on next year’s roster next. Somehow, it seems that the Blues are developing a lot of young players despite their veteran success in the NHL. Rutherford suggests that Robby Fabbri, Oskar Sundqvist, Ivan Barbashev, Zachary Sanford and Dmitrij Jaskin all could find themselves in the Blues forward rotation plans in various ways, while youngsters Joel Edmundson, Colton Parayko, Jordan Schmaltz and Petteri Lindbohm all have a chance to crack the lineup on defense. And that doesn’t include 2017 first-round pick Klim Kostin, who just recently signed his entry-level contract.

Fabbri, a 2014 first-round pick, has already established himself as a quality prospect. He opened his rookie year two years ago with an 18-goal season. While the 21-year-old is coming off a torn ACL injury he sustained in February, he still put up 11 goals in 51 games last year and could be a top candidate to take over at center next year while Bergeron sits out due to shoulder surgery until December. Jaskin has been with the Blues for a while now. The 2011 second-rounder has been in and out of the lineup for four seasons now. The 24-year-old wing played in 51 games last year and finished with 11 points. He must make the next step if he wants to hold off other youngsters coming up. Barbashev could be one of those players. He was drafted in the second round after Fabbri, got into 30 games for the Blues a year ago and showed promise, producing five goals and 12 points and at 21, may be ready for an increased role.

The team has also been very prudent, trading the occasional veteran for prospects.Several of their young players came over via trade. Sundqvist, traded to St. Louis from Pittsburgh a few weeks ago in the Ryan Reaves trade, hopes to carve out a regular role with the Blues. He’s only played in 28 NHL games, but had a hard time breaking into the lineup. He did score 20 goals with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the AHL last year. Sanford, a second-rounder from 2013, was acquired from Washington at the trade deadline in the Kevin Shattenkirk deal, and could work his way onto the roster. Sanford played 39 games in his rookie season after coming to the NHL from Boston College. He put up just eight points, but did get into four playoff games for the Blues.

On defense, the 24-year-old Edmundson has already established himself as a solid defensive presence after two solid seasons in a row. The former 2011 second-rounder played 67 games in 2015-16 and put up three goals and 12 assists in 69 games this past season. Parayko, 24, also has put together two solid seasons on defense as the third-rounder of 2012 put up four goals and 31 assists last year. Both have worked their way through the system and have paid off. Schmaltz, 23, is right on their heels. The former 2012 first-rounder got into nine games this year and could surprise some people and make the team. Lindbohm, 23, has made appearances in three straight seasons as a depth defenseman.

Pacific Signings: Gazdic, Oleksy, Grant

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The Calgary Flames have signed enforcer Luke Gazdic to a one-year, two-way contract. Terms were not disclosed. Gazdic spent last year with the New Jersey Devils, where he split time between the NHL club and the AHL’s Albany Devils. Gazdic played 11 games for New Jersey, accumulating 12 penalty minutes. In 37 games for Albany, the 27-year-old wing had one goal, six assists and 63 penalty minutes.

He had his best season with the Edmonton Oilers back in the 2013-14 season in which he played a career-high 67 games and accumulated 127 penalty minutes as well as two goals and four points. Now he will move over to Calgary to provide much-needed depth to their back lines either in Calgary or the Stockton Heat, depending on the team’s needs.

The Flames have been quiet to start the offseason as they have only signed three players so far in free agency, including an entry-level contract to college star Spencer Foo, an entry-level contract to their 2016 sixth-round pick Stepan Falkovsky and a one-year deal with former New York Rangers’ wing Marek Hrivik.

  • The Anaheim Ducks have signed defenseman Steven Oleksy to a two-year, one-way contract and also inked center Derek Grant to a one-year, one-way deal, according to L.A. Times reporter Helene Elliott. The Ducks also agreed to terms with wings Michael Liambas and Scott Sabourin to one-year, two-way contracts. Oleksy comes from Toronto, but was traded there from Pittsburgh last year. While he never played for the Maple Leafs, the 31-year-old defender did get go play 11 games for the Penguins before being traded. Grant also was traded midseason last year. The 27-year-old center played 40 games for the Buffalo Sabres and another six for the Nashville Predators, although he did not appear in any playoff games. Liambas, a 28-year-old center, has played in one NHL game in his career, while the 24-year-old Sabourin has not reached the NHL yet. He played in 54 games for the San Diego Gulls in the AHL.

Toronto Signs Patrick Marleau To 3-Year Deal

at CDT | by 15 Comments

The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced that they have signed unrestricted free agent Patrick Marleau to a three-year deal, $18.75MM with the average annual value set for $6.25MM. Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston tweets he has a full no-movement clause included in his deal. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun tweets that the deal will include a large signing bonus, just as the case was for Carey Price’s deal earlier today. He will receive $14.5MM in signing bonus money, split up with $7MM coming to him in the first year, followed by $4.5MM in year two and $3MM in the final year of the contract. The three-year pact means that Marleau will be 40 during the last year of his $6.25 contract.

Reported earlier on PHR, the 37-year-old wing was considering several offers, including a two-year offer from San Jose, but the rumor was that Toronto had the most impressive offer and Marleau took it. Having spent the past 19 years in San Jose, he will move on to the young, rising Maple Leafs squad and team with the young core of Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Mitch Marner to help them take the next step. With this move, it seems obvious that the Maple Leafs plan to go all-out in hopes of capturing a Stanley Cup while they have their young core under rookie contracts. It is likely Marleau will be paired with both Matthews and Nylander as their first line.

For San Jose, the veteran team loses one of its most important players in their history. Marleau accumulated 508 goals and 1,082 points in his tenure with the Sharks and was rarely hurt, having played every game for the last eight seasons and only missing a total of 31 games in his career, according to Johnston. Although the team was able to lock up38-year-old Joe Thornton yesterday to a one-year, $6.5MM deal (although that deal is not official yet), the team lost out on one of their top goal scorers and will be hard-pressed to replace him, especially after the team struggled in the playoffs and were bounced in the first round. Those two have been playing together for the last 12 years.

 

New Jersey Notes: Kovalchuk, Kerfoot, McLeod

at CDT | by 2 Comments

NHL Network analyst Brian Lawton tweets that Devils Ilya Kovalchuk has told several clubs that he wants a three-year deal worth at least $6.5MM if he will consider returning to the NHL. Many teams have expressed interest and the belief is that the Devils’ Ray Shero wants to move Kovalchuk in hopes of bringing back a young player and a pick. He scored 32 goals last year in the KHL and has previously expressed interest in staying in the New York area, although not likely for the Devils, or to play in Florida. However, that hasn’t stopped most teams from inquiring with New Jersey. The New York Rangers and the Columbus Blue Jackets both have expressed interest in acquiring the 34-year-old wing.

International reporter Slava Malamud tweets that Kovalchuk’s demand is in line with what he is making in the KHL. He made $5.5MM with his team, St. Petersburg SKA last season and, according to Malamud, he is being offered $6.5MM now to stay in Russia.

  • The Record’s Andrew Gross tweets that New Jersey Devils general manager Ray Shero is still looking to sign Harvard University center Alexander Kerfoot. The 22-year-old was a fifth-round pick by New Jersey in the 2012 draft and just wrapped up his final season for the Crimson. He finally had a breakout season this year, putting up 16 goals and 29 assists as a senior. The problem is that since he’s a fourth-year college player, there is a loophole that allows four-year players to become free agents on Aug. 1. Some believe the Vancouver native may choose to sign with his hometown team instead.
  • The Devils have high hopes that not only will 2017 first-overall pick Nico Hischier make the opening night roster for New Jersey, but the team also hopes that 2016 first rounder Michael McLeod might join him. The 12th-overall pick scored 27 goals for the OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads and Gross tweets that the team hopes he could take over as the team’s third-line center.

Canadiens Frustrated With Markov, Radulov’s Demands

at CDT | by 2 Comments

With the extension of Carey Price and his eight-year, $84MM deal in the books, general Marc Bergevin spoke to the media about his other two key free agents who they are trying to sign. Bergevin said both Alexander Radulov and long-time Canadiens’ defenseman Andrei Markov are asking too much. Especially now that the team must contend with Price’s $10.5 AAV starting next year, he said it is up to them if they want to come back. “If Radulov and Markov wish to return, the door is open for them – but on the Canadiens’ terms,” said Bergevin.

LNH.com’s Arpon Basu reports that Bergevin vented frustration with both players. Markov, the 38-year-old blueliner, has been with the organization from the start of his career and has played 16 seasons for them. He is coming off a productive season in which he scored six goals and 30 assists. However, he is asking for a two-year deal. Radulov, the top remaining unrestricted free agent, is coming off a one-year “prove it” contract, and that’s what he did, scoring 18 goals and 36 assists at age 30. He had previously played overseas for eight seasons with a brief respite in the middle to play nine games for the Nashville Predators.

According to Bergevin, there is a good chance that one or both may not come back this year. “Based on their demands, I can’t say we’ll be able to bring both back,” Bergevin said at the press conference. He added that Markov’s two-year demand is not the issue, implying he is asking for too much. Bergevin added that the Canadiens have already submitted their final offers and there are no other unrestricted free agents they are interested in, which means if they cannot sign either or both, they will look to replace them from within the organization.

It’s likely that Bergevin is threatening to cut off negotiations with the hopes they will come down from their asking price. Right now, it doesn’t look as if both players will come back, especially now that they have new cap issues to worry about.

 

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top