Tampa Bay Lightning Acquire Alexei Melnichuk
The Tampa Bay Lightning have acquired goalie Alexei Melnichuk from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for forward Antoine Morand, per The Mercury News’ Curtis Pashelka.
In Melnichuk, Tampa receives a goalie who had strong NHL upside at one point but seems to have bottomed out in North America. The Sharks signed him as an undrafted free agent after a strong 2019-20 season in Russia, where he had a .930 save percentage in 16 KHL games with SKA St. Petersburg. Since coming to the Sharks organization, though, he’s failed to post a save percentage above .900 at any level. He has an .867 in 31 AHL games with the San Jose Barracuda this year.
Morand has now been traded in consecutive seasons. Originally a Ducks prospect, he was dealt to Tampa Bay last season. In 44 games with the Syracuse Crunch this season, though, he had just ten points.
Tampa Bay Lightning Re-Acquire Riley Nash
The Tampa Bay Lightning have brought back forward Riley Nash from the Arizona Coyotes via trade in exchange for future considerations, the team announced today. Tampa Bay lost Nash on waivers to the Coyotes earlier in the season.
Nash, after clearing waivers today, will report to the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch.
He’s bounced around this season, in large part, because his defensive game has slipped slightly from the elite pedestal where it once stood. While Nash hasn’t been a factor offensively for a few seasons now, he was still one of the game’s higher-end fourth-line centers because of his skill defensively.
Now, after the departures of Taylor Raddysh and Boris Katchouk, Nash is likely Tampa Bay’s 13th forward for their playoff run. He has 34 games of playoff experience.
This season, Nash has just four assists in 49 games.
New York Islanders Extend Zach Parise, Cal Clutterbuck
Despite being well out of the playoff picture, a pair of New York Islanders veterans are staying put. ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reports that forwards Zach Parise and Cal Clutterbuck have signed extensions in New York. Per the Islanders, Clutterbuck’s extension is for two years, while Parise’s is just for one. The deals will go into effect for the 2022-23 season.
Per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Clutterbuck’s deal carries a cap hit of $1.75MM.
Parise, who signed a one-year league-minimum deal to join the team after getting bought out by the Minnesota Wild, has provided great value for that $750,000 cap hit. Despite seeing limited ice time, he has eight goals and 24 points in 60 games, a decent offensive clip and good consistency. The 37-year-old has improved his defensive game from his last years in Minnesota as well.
Clutterbuck is extremely likely to take a pay cut from his previous deal, which paid him $3.5MM a year. He remains a very good defensive winger but is really beginning to struggle offensively and on special teams. He has 15 points in 59 games this season, averaging 14:02 per game.
If you think this news is puzzling, you’re not alone. Rumors swirled for weeks about both of these players getting dealt prior to the Trade Deadline, especially Clutterbuck. But general manager Lou Lamoriello has a history of retaining his veterans whenever possible in an effort to keep consistent voices in the locker room, and it appears that pattern hasn’t changed. It could be that the organization views this year as an outlier, a somewhat reasonable assumption considering their 13-game road trip to start the year and their rash of injuries.
But it’s a gamble nonetheless by the Islanders, as they continue to limit internal opportunities for young players within their organization.
Dallas Stars Acquire Vladislav Namestnikov
The Dallas Stars acquired forward Vladislav Namestnikov from the Detroit Red Wings today in exchange for a fourth-round pick, per ESPN’s Kevin Weekes.
In terms of underrated additions, Namestnikov joining the Stars might rank among the best of the day. The veteran forward appears to be a perfect fit for the Dallas roster, adding some good defensive impact along with a bit of offensive production. In 60 games this season he’s scored 13 goals and 25 points, a total that would actually put him seventh among forwards for the Stars, right about where he’ll likely fit into the lineup. More effective than say, Alexander Radulov, who has been a frustratingly inconsistent part of the Dallas roster all season, Namestnikov also has the ability to play both center and wing, meaning he could end up moving around quite a bit.
The fact that he cost just a fourth-round pick makes it a low-risk move for the Stars, who are focused on making the playoffs. The team decided not to move some of their own high profile players–including John Klingberg–bringing in Nametnikov and depth goaltender Scott Wedgewood in separate deals instead. While that may not move the needle very much, it also doesn’t sacrifice a huge number of future assets in a year where even qualifying for the postseason is no sure thing.
On Detroit’s end, getting a draft pick out of Namestnikov is likely exactly the outcome that was discussed when they signed him to a two-year, $4MM deal in October 2020. Now 29, there was always little chance that the veteran forward would be around when the Red Wings were really competitive, and this move just adds another pick to the pile.
Carolina Hurricanes Acquire Max Domi In Three-Team Trade
The Carolina Hurricanes were able to make a last-second addition, acquiring Max Domi from the Columbus Blue Jackets in a complicated three-team trade just ahead of today’s deadline. The Florida Panthers are playing salary broker, retaining some of Domi’s remaining contract in order for him to fit into the Hurricanes cap situation. The deal will look like this:
To Columbus: Aidan Hreschuk
To Florida: Egor Korshkov, 2022 sixth-round pick (TOR)
To Carolina: Max Domi (50% retained CBJ, 25% retained FLA), Tyler Inamoto
None of Hreschuk, Korshkov, or Inamoto are currently signed to NHL contracts.
It’s a bit of an odd trade for the Blue Jackets, but they will end up with arguably the best prospect of the bunch out of the deal in Hreschuk. Selected 94th overall in 2021, the 19-year-old defenseman currently plays at Boston College where he registered eight points in 37 games as a freshman. He was actually ranked even higher than that by several lists going into the draft, but ended up slipping almost all the way out of the third round, likely because of concerns over his size. The 5’11” defenseman is a product of the U.S. National Team Development Program and isn’t someone to overlook though, as he is very physical and engaged when playing in his own end.
Florida meanwhile will get a chance to bring a former top prospect back to North America, as Korshkov is a restricted free agent playing in the KHL. Originally selected 31st overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2016, he eventually returned to Russia to play in 2020-21. This season for Yaroslavl he has scored 11 goals and 22 points, and would need a new contract if he’s going to play for Florida. A big, rangy forward, Korshkov isn’t overly physical but can use a powerful shot and surprisingly strong mobility to contribute in a depth role, if convinced to return.
Inamoto, 22, went back to play his fifth year at Wisconsin this season, where the fifth-round pick recorded just two points in 26 games. While he’s an interesting one to follow in a Carolina system known for its unique scouting group, Domi is obviously the prize here.
The 27-year-old pending UFA has nine goals and 32 points this season for the Blue Jackets, his second in Columbus since a trade from the Montreal Canadiens. Now joining his fourth NHL organization, the 12th overall pick from 2013 has 99 goals and 307 points in 482 career games. There’s no doubt that Domi can contribute on the offensive end, add some toughness and grit, too often in his previous stops he has had an inconsistent game that bordered on irresponsible defensively. It has made him a frustrating player for coaches and fans alike, given his obvious talents, but could potentially be a nice under-the-radar pickup for the Hurricanes as they push for the Stanley Cup.
If he can fit into their structure, Domi will provide another bit of firepower among a forward group that’s already one of the deepest in the league. The gamble didn’t cost them a ton, especially given how many other interesting prospects remain in the Carolina system.
Pittsburgh Penguins Acquire Rickard Rakell
The Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired forward Rickard Rakell (at 35% retention) from the Anaheim Ducks, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. In return, Anaheim receives forwards Zach Aston-Reese and Dominik Simon, along with goalie prospect Calle Clang and a 2022 second-round pick.
Rakell is a 28-year-old winger who’s a decent offensive play-driver. He’s having a very nice rebound season analytically after his 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, where he really struggled to put the puck in the net.
He has 16 goals and 12 assists this year for 28 points in 51 games, and his 11.8 shooting percentage is much closer to his career average of 11.3%. In his past two seasons, where he scored just 15 and 9 goals, he shot a combined 7.3%. His new cap hit in Pittsburgh with retention is now just $2.463MM, and he’s an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
While this is a good add for Pittsburgh, Anaheim and general manager Pat Verbeek got a good return for Rakell, adding to what’s been a great deadline season for them. If they can re-sign Aston-Reese, he’d be a fantastic addition to the organization. The 27-year-old undrafted free agent carved out a great start to his NHL career in Pittsburgh, developing into an elite defensive winger. He’s got 62 points so far through 213 NHL games.
Simon is on a league-minimum deal and is also an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. He has just nine points in 55 games with the season, and this could potentially be the end of his career in North America.
Derick Brassard Acquired By Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers have acquired forward Derick Brassard from the Philadelphia Flyers, per Sportsnet’s Mark Spector. TSN’s Ryan Rishaug reports that the return is a fourth-round pick going back to Philadelphia, while The Athletic’s Charlie O’Connor confirms that the draft pick is in 2023.
Most of Edmonton’s bottom-six forward group had a rough start to the year, but a recent hot streak has changed a lot of that. Players like Derek Ryan are starting to heat up, but still, others (like Warren Foegele) have disappointed this season. Now, the team has another veteran in the fold in the form of Brassard to add some offensive depth.
Brassard, for now, likely replaces Devin Shore as the team’s third-line center. When healthy, he’s produced well in Philadelphia this year, notching 16 points in 31 games, a tad over a half-point-per-game pace. That’s a significant upgrade on the production of any player Edmonton currently has on their third and fourth lines, and with only surrendering a fourth-round pick to add him, this is a solid trade for general manager Ken Holland.
Brassard will now suit up for his seventh team in the past four seasons.
New York Rangers Acquire Tyler Motte
The New York Rangers are acquiring forward Tyler Motte from the Vancouver Canucks, per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli. The Canucks will receive a 2023 fourth-round selection in return.
Motte, 27, has apparently generated plenty of interest over the past few weeks, which may make Canucks fans a little bit disappointed that the team was only able to secure a fourth-round pick from the Rangers at the deadline. The energy forward has continued to impress ever since the 2020 playoff run that introduced him to the national stage, but with such little offensive output, he falls into the category of many other bottom-six forward additions.
In 49 games this season, Motte has scored seven goals and 15 points, adding another 90 hits to his increasing total. Through 260 NHL games, he’s racked up 628 of those hits, including a whopping 200 during the 2018-19 season, his only full campaign to date. That’s exactly the kind of hockey that Rangers general manager Chris Drury has been trying to play ever since taking over, meaning Motte will fit right into a bottom-six that already includes players like Ryan Reaves (231 hits this season), Dryden Hunt (127), and Barclay Goodrow (102).
The Rangers obviously believe they’re good enough to compete this season, riding a hot goaltender and some potent scoring to battle for a playoff spot earlier than some predicted. They’ve now added Motte, Frank Vatrano, Andrew Copp, and Justin Braun to a group that was already in a playoff position. In each case, the player is a pending UFA, meaning they aren’t locked in past this season, when some of their younger players start to get expensive. Adam fox for instance will jump from an entry-level $925K to a whopping $9.5MM cap hit in 2022-23, while Mika Zibanejad will be earning $8.5MM. There will be time to add in the offseason, but making any deals with term obviously didn’t make sense to them this time around.
New York Rangers To Acquire Andrew Copp
As originally reported by TSN’s Darren Dreger, the New York Rangers are set to acquire forward Andrew Copp from the Winnipeg Jets. Per Dreger, the trade is as follows:
NYR receives: Copp, 2023 sixth-round pick
WPG receives: F Morgan Barron, two conditional 2022 second-round picks, 2023 fifth-round pick
One second-round pick, the Rangers’ 2022 pick, can be upgraded into a first-round pick if the Rangers make the 2022 Eastern Conference Final and Copp plays in 50% of the team’s playoff games. Winnipeg can opt for the other second-round pick to be the Blues’ 2022 second-round pick or the Rangers’ 2023 second-round pick.
Winnipeg ended up being both buyers and sellers at the Trade Deadline this year, making this deal after acquiring Mason Appleton back from the Seattle Kraken. It’s inarguable, though, that the departure is a more significant sign as to the current direction of this team.
While Winnipeg is 6-3-1 in their last ten games, they’ve had an inconsistent year and still sit four points back of a playoff spot. Keeping Copp was a gamble, as the 27-year-old is an unrestricted free agent this offseason with no guarantee that the Jets would be able to afford his new deal. Whether the Rangers invest money into Copp past this season remains to be seen, however.
But for the Rangers, Copp is well worth the rental, especially without having to give up a guaranteed first-round pick or one of the organization’s true top prospects. Copp is an extremely versatile forward who can really slot in anywhere in their middle-six forwards, helping create a depth matchup against other teams that’s been missing all season in New York. He’s now strung together back-to-back 30+ point seasons and is likely to hit the 40-point mark this year. Copp is also an extremely effective penalty killer who can help the team in that regard.
Sharks, Rangers Swap Nick Merkley, Anthony Bitetto
The San Jose Sharks have acquired defenseman Anthony Bitetto from the New York Rangers, who will be sending Nicholas Merkley in return.
Bitetto, 31, has been nothing more than a minor league depth option for the Rangers this season, seeing all game action in the AHL. His 39 games for the Hartford Wolf Pack are actually the most AHL games he’s played since 2014-15, when he had still yet to even break into the NHL with the Nashville Predators. He perhaps will get a chance to see some time with the Sharks after their trade of Jacob Middleton, though things are still rather crowded there. If he does go to the San Jose Barracuda, it could be in an attempt to steal the last AHL playoff spot in the Pacific Division, which is currently the San Diego Gulls just five points ahead.
Interestingly, Merkley’s addition could be the much more impactful one. The 24-year-old forward has just 41 games of NHL experience under his belt, but has been great for the Barracuda this season with 36 points in 43 games. A first-round pick in 2015, Merkley has yet to really establish himself as anything more than a minor league top-six forward.
In fact, given how few NHL games he has played to this point, Merkley is actually set to become a Group VI unrestricted free agent in the offseason when his one-year, two-way contract expires. Perhaps a good showing with the Hartford Wolf Pack–with how much depth the Rangers added up front today, it seems unlikely he’ll spend much time with them down the stretch–would earn him another deal with the organization.