More Moves Are Necessary For The Vegas Golden Knights
Today was certainly a day to be happy for Vegas Golden Knights fans. The team acquired a top-ten center in the league in Jack Eichel while only losing one piece each from their prospect and draft pool.
However, the reality stands that Eichel isn’t free. He’s currently in the fourth year of an eight-year, $80MM deal that counts against the salary cap for $10M per year.
The Knights are doing a delicate dance with the salary cap’s Upper Limit, shifting both Eichel and Mark Stone to long-term injured reserve today to accommodate the transaction. They join Max Pacioretty on the list, meaning the entirety of what’s expected to be Vegas’ top line is on LTIR.
Now, this number is expected to decrease slightly as they send some players down as the team gets healthier, but CapFriendly lists the Golden Knights with a $91.8MM cap hit, just over $10M above the $81.5MM Upper Limit.
While the team should be able to activate Pacioretty and Stone without issue, it’ll be impossible as things currently stand to activate Eichel when he’s expected to return in February or March. The team will need to have a cap hit below the $81.5MM Upper Limit at that point in order to do so.
Needless to say, moves will need to happen for Vegas to shed enough salary to become cap-compliant. It’s no small amount of money, either, as they’ll likely need to offload $7-8MM in order to make things work.
Reilly Smith and the one year remaining on a deal paying him $5MM per season scream out as a likely candidate to be traded by the Knights. If Eichel is healthy prior to the trade deadline, it’s entirely feasible that Vegas could flip him to quite literally anyone. They could operate as a seller and trade Smith to a contender in the Eastern Conference, or trade him to a seller that could then flip him at the deadline.
If clearing that isn’t enough, the team could look at trading or waiving Brayden McNabb and his $2.5MM cap hit. He too is in the last year of his contract, and his role with the team is quickly being made expendable with the emergence of Nicolas Hague.
Regardless, it’s a surefire conclusion that the makeup of the team will need to be cheaper when Eichel is healthy and ready to play.
Snapshots: Tkachuk, Drouin, Coyotes
While many fans will be eager to move on from the Jack Eichel trade saga that finally wrapped up Thursday after an early-morning deal to the Vegas Golden Knights, there were many rumors in the days leading up to the trade that deserves attention. While it was common knowledge in the week or so prior to Thursday that the Calgary Flames were potential suitors for the star forward, ESPN’s Kevin Weekes tweeted Wednesday that the team had offered winger Matthew Tkachuk in a potential package for Eichel. However, Tkachuk said today that he “had a hard time believing” that Calgary would have been willing to part with him, supporting other reports today that Tkachuk was not on the table. Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams also stated that the report “was not accurate.” It would’ve been shocking to see the Flames part with Tkachuk, who’s entering the final season of a $7MM contract. The 23-year-old has four goals and six points through nine games this season.
More from around the league:
- Jonathan Drouin sits out tonight for the Montreal Canadiens, per Newsday’s Andrew Gross. Drouin left Montreal’s game on Tuesday night after taking a puck to the head and was actually transported to the hospital for further evaluation, but was discharged and was seen at the Bell Centre after the game. No timeline has been issued by the team on his injury, but it continues an unfortunate slew of health issues that have plagued the Canadiens this season.
- The Arizona Coyotes tried to be a part of the Eichel trade, as mentioned in today’s episode of TSN’s Insider Trading. As a third-party member, the Coyotes likely could’ve taken on considerable value by offering to retain a small portion of Eichel’s salary in the deal. Salary retention in three-team deals has been an increasing trend in the league, with multiple low-spending teams gaining draft capital at last year’s Trade Deadline by helping facilitate deals.
Montreal Canadiens’ Jonathan Drouin Goes To Hospital For Examination
Nov 3: Drouin is doing well this morning according to head coach Dominique Ducharme. He has not been diagnosed with a concussion at this point, though he’ll be re-evaluated tomorrow and is currently listed as day-to-day.
Nov 2: Montreal Canadiens forward Jonathan Drouin left Tuesday night’s game against the Detroit Red Wings after taking a puck to the head and has gone to the hospital for further evaluation, per the team. Drouin will not return to the game.
A shot from the point hit Drouin in the head while he was standing in front of Red Wings goalie Alex Nedeljkovic, knocking his helmet off as Drouin immediately crouched to the ice and skated off under his own power. The nature of any potential injury is unknown at this time.
Drouin, who was away from the Canadiens for the end of the regular season and entire playoffs on a personal leave of absence, is currently Montreal’s leader in points with seven points in 10 games. It’s a promising start for Drouin, who’s broken the 50-point threshold twice in his career.
If Drouin is to miss any time, he’ll be the fifth regular who’s currently unavailable due to injury or personal reasons. It’s incredibly tough luck for Drouin, who’s shown immense fortitude in battling back to be the team’s best producer.
The PHR team sends out their best wishes for Drouin’s health.
Avalanche Place Cale Makar On Injured Reserve
The Colorado Avalanche have placed defenseman Cale Makar on injured reserve retroactive to Saturday, October 30, per Colorado Hockey Now’s Adrian Dater.
It’s unclear as to when the injury to Makar occurred. He played almost 25 minutes in Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Wild. It’s par for the course for Makar, who’s now averaged exactly 25 minutes per game this season as the Avs’ blueline has dealt with injury issues all season.
While his six points in eight games is a slow start to the season by Makar’s standards, he’s still tied for fourth on the team in points.
Kurtis MacDermid will likely draw into the lineup in his place, and Bowen Byram and Samuel Girard should both see elevated minutes and responsibilities. Devon Toews has still yet to play this season, but is approaching a return and could be a huge boost to a blueline that’s been shorthanded.
They’ve gotten good production from the rookie Byram, who potted his first NHL goal this season to go along with four assists.
Nick Schmaltz Out Three To Four Weeks “At Minimum”
The Arizona Coyotes are already last in the league, but things are getting worse for the beleaguered squad. Center Nick Schmaltz, who’s missed the past three games with an upper-body injury, will be out a minimum of three to four weeks, per head coach Andre Tourigny.
Schmaltz last played on October 25 against the Florida Panthers, a game in which he registered his only point of the season. He’s struggled, along with most of the team, as the Coyotes now remain the league’s only team without a victory with a 0-8-1 record and a -26 goal differential just a month into the season.
It’ll mean an elevated role for a little while longer for youngster Barrett Hayton, who’s got one assist in three games after being recalled from AHL Tucson. It’s a big opportunity for the former fifth overall pick to try his luck as the team’s first-line center.
Tourigny was able to offer more updates on the health of some of his other injured players today, noting that defender Kyle Capobianco is now day-to-day and could be ready to make his season debut soon, adding some more NHL experience to the blueline. Forward Ryan Dzingel will be out for at least one more week.
Minor Transactions: 11/02/21
With a busy night upcoming on the NHL calendar, it’s a busy night across the rest of the hockey world as well. There’s a fair amount of movement across lower levels of North American hockey today. We’ll keep track of that right here.
- Former top goalie prospect Jon Gillies is once again getting a shot at the AHL level, as the ECHL’s Maine Mariners loaned him to the Providence Bruins today. Gillies hasn’t played an NHL game since 2017-18 with the Calgary Flames, since spending time in the St. Louis Blues and now the Bruins organization. In one start with the Mariners this year, Gillies posted a .920 save percentage in a losing effort.
- The AHL’s Rochester Americans reassigned defenseman Peter Tischke to the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones, per the team’s Twitter account. The 25-year-old undrafted Tischke was a former captain at the University of Wisconsin but has struggled to keep his footing in the AHL during a short professional career so far. He notched two points in 16 games with the Colorado Eagles last year, staying at the AHL level all season. But after just one game in Rochester, he’s heading back to the ECHL where he posted 15 points in 51 games with the Utah Grizzlies in 2019-20.
This page will be updated throughout the day
Ryan Getzlaf Sets Anaheim Ducks Franchise Points Record
In what could be potentially his last season in the NHL, Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf set the team’s all-time points record today with his 989th point. In doing so, he passed previous record holder Teemu Selanne.
The 36-year-old center, historically known for his playmaking ability, set the record with a primary assist on a Troy Terry breakaway game-winning goal today in a 4-2 win against the Montreal Canadiens.
While there was some speculation about Getzlaf’s future playing status this offseason, the longtime Ducks captain signed a one-year, $3.0MM deal on July 28, 2021, to stay with the team. Getzlaf’s had a hot start this season, notching seven assists in 10 games while averaging over 18 minutes a game still. It looks to be a solid uptick on last year’s production, where he had just 17 points in 48 games, the lowest totals of his career.
Getzlaf’s played in every Ducks season post-lockout, he’s now had eight seasons with 50+ assists. He’s played over 1,100 games as a Duck and his 17 seasons in Anaheim eclipse Selanne’s 15 years.
Minor Transactions: 10/31/31
It’s a slow news Sunday at the NHL level, save for a slew of COVID-19-protocol-related absences, but that doesn’t mean there’s no movement at any level of the hockey world. Keep up with a list of today’s minor transactions right here:
- The AHL’s Belleville Senators have returned netminder Tyler Parks to the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators, per the Senators’ Twitter. Parks was called up to the Senators as the Ottawa Senators organization faced some goalie injuries, including Matt Murray at the NHL level and Mads Sogaard at the AHL level. As Sogaard is healthy and Murray is close to returning, Belleville has a full goalie roster once again and Parks is the odd man out. Parks didn’t make an appearance with Belleville during his callup.
- The ECHL’s Fort Wayne Komets have loaned defenseman Matt Murphy to Belleville, as listed on the ECHL’s transactions page. The 26-year-old Murphy was a Memorial Cup champion in 2013 with the Halifax Mooseheads, his second year in the CHL. After a solid college career with the University of New Brunswick, Murphy is now a reigning Kelly Cup champion with the Komets. In a brief AHL loan last year, Murphy had an assist in two games with the Chicago Wolves.
- Per ECHL Week, the Rapid City Rush claimed forward Brett Gravelle off waivers from the Iowa Heartlanders today. A 25-year-old native of Forest Lake, Minnesota, Gravelle is playing in his first season of ECHL hockey. He had a three-point game in his only appearance with Iowa, a promising sign after similarly successful stints at lower levels of professional hockey.
Los Angeles Kings Place Viktor Arvidsson, Gabriel Vilardi In COVID-19 Protocol
The Los Angeles Kings placed forwards Viktor Arvidsson and Gabriel Vilardi in COVID-19 protocol just minutes ahead of puck drop of Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres, per the team’s public relations department.
Arvidsson has had a decent start to his Kings career, scoring two goals and five points in eight games while averaging 18:25 per game, his most in three seasons. He’s posted great possession numbers to begin the season and has been a remarkable complement to the team’s top-six forward group.
Vilardi has just one goal in seven games after a strong rookie season last year, scoring 10 goals and 23 points in 54 games. He’s struggled to play meaningful minutes with the addition of Phillip Danault to the team, averaging just 12:58 per game as compared to 14:45 in 2020-21.
They’re big losses that add to a long list of crucial absences for the Los Angeles Kings, which includes Drew Doughty and Sean Walker on the back end.
Injury Notes: Canadiens, Lightning, Watson
The Montreal Canadiens are facing two big game-time decisions for Sunday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks in defenseman Jeff Petry and forward Brendan Gallagher, as reported by The Athletic’s Arpon Basu. Basu notes that Sami Niku will draw in for Petry if he’s unavailable, while Jake Evans, who’s still not 100 percent in his recovery from an undisclosed injury, would play in place of Gallagher if needed. It’s tough news for an already banged-up team that also lost Mathieu Perreault to injury today for two-to-three weeks. Petry and Gallagher have both had extremely slow starts, as Petry has no points through nine games with Gallagher has just a goal and an assist. It’ll undoubtedly force a lineup shakeup for Sunday’s game.
More injury notes from around the league:
- The status of Tampa Bay Lightning forwards Steven Stamkos and Boris Katchouk is uncertain for Monday night’s game against the Washington Capitals. The Athletic’s Joe Smith reports that Stamkos was absent from practice Sunday, taking a maintenance day, and head coach Jon Cooper is “hopeful” he’ll play Monday night but isn’t certain. Katchouk was hurt in practice Sunday and could be out longer. The 23-year-old forward has gotten into four games this season and is still searching for his first NHL point.
- Ottawa Senators forward Austin Watson is close to returning and could be ready for the team’s game against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, per head coach D.J. Smith. Watson hasn’t played this season due to an ankle injury suffered during training camp. The return comes slightly ahead of the four-week timeline issued on October 10th. He could draw into the lineup in place of Logan Shaw, who’s registered no points in seven games while playing just 8:08 per game.