Trade Deadline Primer: Colorado Avalanche
With the All-Star break in the rearview, the trade deadline looms large and is about 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 Colorado Avalanche.
The Avalanche are near the top of most people’s lists of Stanley Cup favorites in 2024. It’s understandable – Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar playing like the best players in the world at their respective positions heading out of the All-Star break. This core is also less than two years removed from one of the most dominant championship runs in recent memory.
However, they also boast one of the most flawed rosters on paper in this year’s contending class. They lack a true second-line center behind MacKinnon, no active forward outside the top line has cracked 30 points, and their goaltending has been only slightly above average. Alexandar Georgiev ranks 14th out of 32 starters in goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck. Their forward depth could be buoyed by the returns of captain Gabriel Landeskog from a knee cartilage replacement that was previously thought to be season-ending and Valeri Nichushkin, who is receiving treatment in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, but both players still have a muddy path to a return with no clear timeline. Assuming at least one of Landeskog or Nichushkin returns in time for postseason play, does GM Chris MacFarland believe this team is a top-six center and a backup goaltender away from winning their second championship in three years?
Record
32-14-13, 1st in the Central
Deadline Status
Buyer
Deadline Cap Space
$1.24MM on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 47/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.
Upcoming Draft Picks
2024: COL 1st, COL 4th, SEA 5th, COL 6th, COL 7th
2025: COL 1st, COL 3rd, COL 4th, COL 5th, COL 6th, COL 7th
Trade Chips
Colorado’s cap space and draft pick cupboard are typical of a team that’s been in contention for a half-decade. However, their cap situation is likely to improve dramatically by March 8. The team isn’t accumulating any space with Landeskog and backup netminder Pavel Francouz on LTIR for a combined $9MM in relief, but Nichushkin’s $6.125MM cap hit still counts while he’s in the PAP and is taking a significant chunk out of their LTIR pool. Nichushkin is eligible for LTIR if he’s expected to meet the minimum absence requirements of 10 games and 24 days, which he will satisfy if he doesn’t return by Feb. 8 against the Hurricanes. If the Avalanche expect him to remain in treatment through the deadline, they could add him to LTIR and have nearly $7.4MM in space on deadline day, enough to execute any move they’d like.
That could be a tricky dance, though, as Nichushkin could return before the end of the regular season. The Avalanche would still need space to activate him from LTIR when he’s ready to go. Landeskog being ready to play before the postseason is much less likely, but as he’s begun on-ice work in his return from knee surgeries that have kept him out of the lineup for almost 20 months, it’s not impossible.
Colorado’s bottom six is fine for what it is. It’s the top nine that needs some fiddling, so they could stand to make a money-in, money-out move with some draft picks attached to necessitate an upgrade. That puts Ryan Johansen and his half-off cap hit of $4MM at the top of the Avs’ trade bait list. The 31-year-old’s stint in Denver hasn’t worked out, recording 11 goals and seven assists for 18 points in 49 games. He has below-team-average possession metrics and is now averaging less than 14 minutes per game. Nothing about his stat line this season is representative of a second-line center on a contending team, although he would carry value in a trade to a rebuilding team as a nearly 900-game veteran with years of top-six experience in his past. His deal expires at the end of the 2024-25 season, so he wouldn’t saddle a rebuilder with a long-term cap commitment if they anticipate spending big soon.
It’s a seller’s market on centers this year, as evidenced by the Canadiens recouping a first-round pick for the services of Sean Monahan as a rental from the Jets. That will require Colorado to attach one of their upcoming first-round picks in a deal, especially given they’ve traded away their upcoming second-round picks in back-to-back deadline deals for Artturi Lehkonen (2022) and Lars Eller (2023).
Team Needs
1) Second-Line Center: The gaping void down the middle behind MacKinnon’s electric performance (84 points in 49 games at the All-Star break) is perhaps the most glaring need for any contender in the league. If Johansen’s contract is going the other way to facilitate a swap, and the team has first-round picks (and some other lesser assets) to spare, is there a fit with the Ducks as a trade partner for Adam Henrique? The 33-year-old veteran is third on the Ducks on scoring with 15 goals and 33 points in 49 games and is one of the best options left on the market with Monahan and Elias Lindholm already off to new teams.
2) Experienced Backup: The Avalanche are no stranger to injuries between the pipes. Their 2022 Stanley Cup win wouldn’t have happened without the services of Francouz, who stepped in admirably when then-starter Darcy Kuemper was out for stretches of the First Round and Conference Final. After waiving Ivan Prosvetov last weekend, 23-year-old Justus Annunen and his five games of NHL experience are now firmly ensconced as Georgiev’s backup for the stretch run. His numbers aren’t great – a .871 SV% and 3.94 GAA over the past three seasons – but he has a respectable .908 SV% and 2.65 GAA in 23 minor-league showings with AHL Colorado this year. Still, MacFarland and head coach Jared Bednar would surely prefer a lower-risk option at the most important time of the year should Georgiev exit the lineup.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Coyotes Reassign Justin Kirkland, Steven Kampfer
Feb. 5: Kampfer and Kirkland were returned to the minors late Sunday night, the team said. It’s unclear why both players were brought up for such a short stint on a non-game day.
Feb. 4: The Coyotes recalled forward Justin Kirkland and defenseman Steven Kampfer from AHL Tucson on Sunday, according to a team statement.
Arizona last recalled Kirkland, 27, before the All-Star break on an emergency basis, although he was scratched for their Jan. 27 loss to the Hurricanes. The eight-year AHL veteran logged two games with the Coyotes in early January, recording one shot on goal and winning eight out of 12 faceoffs in 14 total minutes of ice time.
After joining the Coyotes on a one-year deal last summer, Kirkland has notched two goals and 15 assists for 17 points through 21 games in Tucson. His 0.81 points-per-game average is the highest of his AHL career.
His latest stint on the NHL roster will likely be brief. He comes up to serve as an extra forward in case recent waiver pickup Adam Ružička, who is still working through the immigration process after being claimed from the Flames 10 days ago, is unable to join the team by their Feb. 8 game against the Golden Knights. However, PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan reports Ružička is likely to join the squad by Tuesday, so Kirkland may get sent down within the next 72 hours.
Kampfer’s recall could be more permanent. The 35-year-old is slated to be the seventh defenseman on the active roster as Mathew Dumba and Troy Stecher remain on injured reserve for the foreseeable future.
If he plays, it will be Kampfer’s first NHL game in almost three years. The Ann Arbor, Michigan, native last suited up in May 2021 with the Bruins and has spent the last three seasons with Russia’s Ak Bars Kazan and in the AHL with the Red Wings and Coyotes organizations. He’s played sparingly with Tucson this year, only suiting up 18 times in 43 games, but he’s recorded four assists and a +3 rating while assuming the captaincy. Kampfer has 15 goals, 39 points and a -1 rating across 231 NHL games with the Bruins, Panthers, Rangers, and Wild since entering the league in 2010.
Metropolitan Notes: Kochetkov, Haula, Hatakka, Lindgren, Leschyshyn, Mackey
As expected, the Hurricanes recalled netminder Pyotr Kochetkov from AHL Chicago on Sunday as the team returns to practice, per CapFriendly. Carolina loaned Kochetkov to Chicago last weekend to bank salary cap space over the All-Star break; he did not appear in any of Chicago’s three games over the past week.
The 24-year-old returned from a concussion before the break began and dressed as the backup to Antti Raanta for Jan. 27’s win over the Coyotes after a six-game absence. If he starts Tuesday against the Canucks, it will be his first appearance since Jan. 11.
In the first season of a four-year, $8MM deal, Kochetkov has locked down the starting role in Carolina in the absence of Frederik Andersen, who recently returned to on-ice activities after missing most of the season due to blood clotting issues. His 21 starts lead the team, over which span he’s produced an 11-7-3 record, .900 SV%, 2.58 GAA, and one shutout. They’re rather average numbers given the quality of the defense in front of him, but they’re far superior to Raanta’s performance this season (.870 SV%, 3.04 GAA in 23 GP). With one open roster spot, no corresponding transaction is needed to reinstate Kochetkov.
More from the Metropolitan Division to close out the weekend:
- Devils center Erik Haula returned to the team today after a brief paternal leave, Amanda Stein of the Devils’ official site reports. The 32-year-old missed the team’s final game before the All-Star break, a 6-3 loss to the Lightning, for the birth of his child. He has 10 goals and 13 assists for 23 points in 41 games after signing a three-year, $9.45MM extension to remain in Newark in June, pacing over half a point per game for the third straight season.
- The Devils also recalled defenseman Santeri Hatakka from AHL Utica, per a team announcement. Hatakka rejoins the NHL squad after spending the All-Star break in the minors, recording a goal and an assist in three games. The 23-year-old made his first three appearances as a Devil in the triad of contests leading into the break, recording an assist and a +5 rating while averaging 16:07 per game in the absence of Brendan Smith, who landed on injured reserve with a right knee sprain over two weeks ago. His role on the team is slightly muddied after the Devils claimed Nick DeSimone off waivers from the Flames shortly before the break; he’s expected to suit up in a third-pairing role alongside Colin Miller to make his Devils debut against the Avalanche on Tuesday. Thus, Hatakka will likely serve mostly as a healthy scratch for the time being.
- Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren is cleared to play in Monday’s contest against Colorado, head coach Peter Laviolette said (via The Athletic’s Peter Baugh). The 25-year-old sustained an upper-body injury early in a Jan. 26 game against the Golden Knights and missed the following night’s 7-2 win over the Senators. The pending RFA is nearing completion of a three-year, $9MM extension and has seven points in 47 games, the lowest offensive output of his NHL career. It’s been a down season for Lindgren on both sides of the puck, too – his 48.8% Corsi share at even strength is down over five percentage points from last season’s mark.
- Staying with the Rangers, the team also recalled forward Jake Leschyshyn and defenseman Connor Mackey from AHL Hartford on Sunday. The two have been frequent travelers between leagues as of late, seeing a combined three recalls since the New Year. They’re both projected as healthy scratches for Monday and will serve as short-term injury insurance. Neither player recorded a point in their lone NHL appearances this season.
Jets To Activate Mark Scheifele From Injured Reserve
The Jets will activate Mark Scheifele off injured reserve before Tuesday’s game against the Penguins, head coach Rick Bowness told reporters Sunday (via Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press). Winnipeg’s leading point-getter has not played since he sustained a lower-body injury against the Blackhawks on Jan. 11.
Scheifele, 30, will resume a first-line role between Kyle Connor and Gabriel Vilardi as the Jets aim to regain the top spot in the Central Division. They were 6-3-1 in their last 10 games heading into the All-Star break and trail the division-leading Avalanche by two points with two games in hand.
It will be a bit of a new look for Scheifele, who’s rarely played with both Connor and Vilardi together at even strength this season. His return will give the Jets a fully healthy top-six for Sean Monahan‘s debut with the team on Tuesday after an All-Star break acquisition from the Canadiens.
Winnipeg’s all-time leader in goals since the franchise moved from Atlanta in 2011 has recaptured his point-per-game form, posting 14 goals and 27 assists for 41 points in 41 games. He leads all Jets forwards in ice time by averaging 20:16 per game, narrowly ahead of Connor’s 20:10 mark.
His goal-scoring may not be at last year’s 42-goal pace, but he is shooting 1.8% below his career average. His finishing should improve marginally in the second half of the campaign.
Scheifele is in the final season of an eight-year, $49MM deal signed in 2016. He’s already inked a seven-year, $59.5MM extension that will keep him in Winnipeg through 2031.
The Jets have a full 23-player roster, so they’ll need to reassign someone tomorrow to create space for Scheifele to come off IR. That could be Dominic Toninato, who will require waivers for the third time this season if he’s the odd man out. He’s spent more than 30 days on the active roster since his last recall on Dec. 27, removing his temporary exemption.
Flames Place A.J. Greer On Injured Reserve, Recall Three
3:14 p.m.: Calgary did indeed recall three forwards today: Pelletier is on his way back to the NHL, along with Kevin Rooney and Cole Schwindt, who will fill the team’s vacancies at center. The team also confirmed Greer’s IR placement in a team release.
2:34 p.m.: The Flames moved winger A.J. Greer to injured reserve on Sunday, per the NHL’s media site. Greer is one week into an eight-week recovery timeline for a foot fracture sustained on Jan. 25 against the Blue Jackets.
Today’s news doesn’t affect Greer’s return timeline. However, it does bring Calgary’s roster size back down to 20 out of the maximum 23 after claiming defenseman Brayden Pachal off waivers from the Golden Knights earlier in the day.
18 of those 20 players are skaters, but after moving Greer to IR, the Flames only have 10 forwards on the active roster. They now have roster space to recall as many as three forwards ahead of their Feb. 6 game against the Bruins, which marks their return from their bye week and the All-Star break.
One of those recalls will likely be 2021 13th overall pick Matthew Coronato, who has exploded for 32 points in 30 games with AHL Calgary during his first pro season. He’s scored only once in 15 NHL appearances this year in top-nine minutes, but he should get an extended look on the NHL roster for the rest of the season in the wake of the Elias Lindholm trade.
A center will likely be on his way up from the AHL as well, given Lindholm’s immediate replacement, Andrei Kuzmenko, will suit up on the wing. Offseason pickup Yegor Sharangovich, who’s tied for the team lead in goals with 20, will shift to center to close out the year in Lindholm’s absence.
Today’s news could also be a precursor to a Jakob Pelletier recall. The 22-year-old has two goals and an assist in four games with AHL Calgary after returning from a shoulder injury sustained late in training camp and, if the Flames feel he’s undergone enough conditioning at the minor-league level, could add to his NHL games-played total in the coming weeks.
Penguins Sign Jesse Puljujärvi To Two-Year Deal
The Penguins signed UFA winger Jesse Puljujärvi to a two-year contract on Sunday, per a team release. The 2016 fourth-overall pick will earn $800K per season through the end of 2024-25.
Per PuckPedia, Puljujärvi will earn the league minimum $775K salary this season before seeing a $50K pay bump in 2024-25. He will be an unrestricted free agent for the second time in his career when the deal expires.
Puljujärvi, 25, had four goals and nine points in 13 games on a PTO with Pittsburgh’s AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after returning from a double hip surgery he had received during the offseason. He began training with the Penguins in early December, signing a PTO at the NHL level to do so.
The Finnish winger looked like a long-term fixture in the Oilers’ top six as recently as two years ago. A long and winding development path led him to a career-best 2021-22 campaign in which his 36 points and +22 rating in 65 games, oftentimes playing alongside Connor McDavid, earned him a spattering of Selke Trophy votes. Their line with Zach Hyman was arguably the best in the league that season at generating offense, producing 4.18 expected goals per 60 minutes, according to MoneyPuck.
However, Puljujärvi regressed significantly in 2022-23. After posting five goals and 14 points (along with a -11 rating) in just 12:15 of average ice time compared to the prior season’s 16:14, the Oilers cut bait with their former top prospect and traded him to the Hurricanes for the signing rights to forward prospect Patrik Puistola. His possession impacts rebounded down the stretch with Carolina, but the point production did not – he went without a goal in 24 regular-season and playoff games and added only three assists. As such, the Hurricanes opted not to issue Puljujärvi a qualifying offer and let him become a UFA last July.
Last summer’s surgery suggests his skating and overall play were hampered by a lingering hip issue in 2022-23, and the Penguins are banking on his ability to keep driving possession in a limited role out of the gate. There is a fair amount of upward mobility for Puljujärvi in Pittsburgh if his play warrants it – underwhelming seasons from Rickard Rakell and Reilly Smith have created multiple openings in the team’s middle six. He may be best used in a bottom-six role to start, however, as poor defensive play from veterans like Noel Acciari and Matthew Nieto has been one of the team’s biggest weaknesses. Puljujärvi could provide an upgrade there and boost the team’s goal differential, even if he’s not providing a truckload of offense himself.
Mattias Samuelsson Out For Season With Upper-Body Injury
Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson requires surgery to repair an upper-body injury and will miss the rest of the 2023-24 campaign as a result, the team announced Sunday.
Samuelsson, 23, missed four out of the last six games before the All-Star break with upper-body injuries and was listed as day-to-day. The 2018 second-round pick finishes the 2023-24 season with one goal, six assists, seven points, and a +4 rating in 41 games.
The son of long-time Flyers blue-liner Kjell Samuelsson put up the best two-way numbers of his young career this season, the first in a seven-year, $30MM extension ($4.29MM AAV) signed in October of 2022. His 50.8% Corsi share at even strength was a career-high, and his pairing with Rasmus Dahlin has seen the most usage of any Sabres duo with 440 minutes together, per MoneyPuck.
The improvement in play is despite another injury-plagued campaign that prevented him from developing much consistency. He missed a handful of contests earlier in the season with a spattering of lower-body and undisclosed injuries, and he never played more than 14 consecutive games.
His most concerning stat remains his low games played total. Injuries limited Samuelsson to 55 contests last season, which remains his career-high since entering the league in 2021. Even if he continues developing into a top-pairing-caliber shutdown defenseman on a playoff team, his long injury history at a young age creates significant concern about his current contract, which runs through the 2029-30 season.
Samuelsson is eligible for LTIR, although the Sabres don’t need the cap relief that would provide. They remain with over $8MM in projected cap space, per CapFriendly, and could settle for placing Samuelsson on standard injured reserve to open up a roster spot if necessary.
The injury could translate into more ice time for 2019 first-round pick Ryan Johnson, who hasn’t looked out of place in his first NHL showing this year. He’s still looking for his first NHL goal through 30 games, but he has added six assists and owns a promising 52.1% Corsi share at even strength while averaging 14:33 per game.
Flames Claim Brayden Pachal Off Waivers From Golden Knights
The Flames claimed defenseman Brayden Pachal off waivers from the Golden Knights on Sunday, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Calgary confirmed the news in a media release shortly thereafter.
Pachal, 24, has logged a career-high 17 games played for Vegas this season. His first NHL goal came in an early-season win over the Sharks on Oct. 12.
A minor-league mainstay over the past few seasons in AHL Henderson, Pachal cracked the Golden Knights’ opening night roster in October with season-opening injuries keeping Alec Martinez and Zach Whitecloud out of the lineup. As injuries continued to affect the Vegas blue line, Pachal slipped down the depth chart behind 23-year-old Kaedan Korczak, who’s recently found a home in the team’s top four alongside Brayden McNabb in the absence of Shea Theodore.
After the Golden Knights claimed 2019 first-round pick Tobias Björnfot off waivers from the Kings in early January, there was even less of a role for Pachal on the NHL roster. As such, he was a healthy scratch in 11 straight games before the All-Star break, last skating in a Jan. 4 contest against the Panthers.
Calgary is likely parting ways with pending UFA blue liner Chris Tanev (and potentially Noah Hanifin) ahead of the March 8 trade deadline, leaving them with a lack of NHL-caliber defenders to take them through the stretch run. Claiming Pachal off waivers is likely made with that foresight in mind. He’ll compete with depth defensemen such as Dennis Gilbert and Jordan Oesterle for bottom-four ice time and should allow the Flames to keep younger prospects like Yan Kuznetsov and Ilya Solovyov developing in the minors.
Pachal’s October goal is his only point this season, averaging 14:37 per game with a -2 rating and 18 shots on goal. Only two full-time Golden Knights – Martinez and Brett Howden – have a worse Corsi share at even strength than Pachal’s 44.2% mark despite a low quality of competition.
Despite the underwhelming possession metrics, the Flames believe he can develop into a defensive contributor down the stretch. GM Craig Conroy said Sunday that Pachal “will be an asset to our penalty kill” and called out his 6-foot-2, 202-pound frame as something to like (via Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson).
Pachal also has a history of occupying leadership roles, serving as Henderson’s captain from 2021 to 2023 and as captain of the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders in the 2018-19 season. He played in one postseason game last year, Vegas’ series-clinching Game 5 win against the Jets in the First Round, on his way toward getting his name engraved on the Stanley Cup.
This is not the Flames’ first run-in with Pachal, who turned pro out of juniors in 2019 after signing an entry-level contract with Vegas as an undrafted free agent. As Flames Nation’s Ryan Pike points out, Pachal attended Flames development and prospect camp in the summer of 2018.
He’s under contract through the 2024-25 season at a $775K cap hit after signing a two-year, $1.55MM extension with the Golden Knights in June 2023. His deal is a two-way pact carrying a minimum guaranteed salary of $200K this season, but it converts to a one-way deal next year. Calgary had three open roster spots before making this transaction and nearly $1.5MM in projected cap space, so no corresponding transaction is necessary to execute the claim.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Julien Gauthier Clears Waivers
Saturday: Gauthier has cleared waivers, Friedman reports; he has been assigned to Bridgeport.
Friday: The Islanders have placed winger Julien Gauthier on waivers for the purpose of assignment to AHL Bridgeport, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said Friday.
Gauthier, 26, is without a point in his last six games. He was a healthy scratch in the Islanders’ last game before the All-Star break, a 3-2 overtime loss to the Panthers on Saturday.
The 2016 first-round pick signed a two-year, $1.575MM deal with the Islanders last July after reaching unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career. After ending last season in a Senators jersey as a result of a February 2023 trade from the Rangers, Gauthier did not receive a qualifying offer after scoring three goals and adding two assists in 17 games with Ottawa.
A bottom-six power winger with good size at 6-foot-4 and over 220 pounds, Gauthier made the Islanders’ roster out of camp after failing to do so with the Rangers last season. He’s been a healthy scratch on multiple occasions this season, including three times since the beginning of January.
In 27 games on the season, he’s posted five goals and nine points while averaging 10:10 per game. His possession metrics have been the worst on the team in his limited role, posting a 36% Corsi share at even strength. Given he’s under contract until 2025 and is not on an expiring deal, and his $800K salary next season is higher than his $787.5K cap hit, the likelihood of a waiver claim appears low.
NHLPA: Coyotes Have Missed Two Deadlines In New Arena Search
The Coyotes organization has missed two deadlines in their search for a new arena in the Phoenix area, NHLPA Executive Director Marty Walsh told reporters on Friday from All-Star weekend in Toronto (via Chris Johnston of The Athletic and TSN). In his press availability, Walsh said he’s “extremely concerned” and “disappointed” with the team’s ownership and claimed owner Alex Meruelo has “refused to engage with the [NHLPA] on numerous fronts,” per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli.
Those statements from Walsh run in contrast to what NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said earlier in the day, claiming he was “reasonably confident” that Meruelo would present a plan for an NHL-quality arena in the Phoenix metro area within a reasonable time frame (via Johnston). Previous anticipated dates for a concrete announcement regarding an arena plan included New Year’s Day and this weekend’s All-Star game, neither of which carried any significant updates.
Coyotes President and CEO Xavier A. Gutierrez told Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports in December that the team anticipated an announcement of their chosen area site by the end of the 2023 calendar year “or shortly thereafter.” At the time, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that the deal, expected to be for a parcel of land within Phoenix city limits close to the suburb of Scottsdale, was close to being finalized.
Arizona is in its second season using Mullett Arena as its full-time home, where it’s the secondary tenant to Arizona State University’s men’s hockey program. It has a capacity of just 4,600 seats for NHL games.
The current collective bargaining agreement does not award players any avenues for action against the Coyotes, Walsh said (via Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman). Arizona’s first plan for a new arena and entertainment district, a parcel of land in Tempe near Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, was struck down by voters in a May 2023 referendum.
Time is quickly running out for Meruelo to present a long-term plan for a Phoenix-area home. Salt Lake City-based Smith Entertainment Group, owners of the NBA’s Utah Jazz, expressed written intent for an expansion franchise last month. That market is a geographically logical place for relocation and could house the Coyotes franchise as soon as next season.