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Trade Deadline Notes: Hanifin, Markstrom, Guentzel

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On yesterday evening’s rendition of ’Saturday Headlines’ on Sportsnet, Elliotte Friedman spoke at length about several rumblings across the league leading up to the trade deadline. One of the major discoveries presented by Friedman is that the Tampa Bay Lightning are the preferred landing spot for Calgary Flames’ defenseman Noah Hanifin and that he would be willing to discuss an extension.

The news comes shortly after a report suggested that the Florida Panthers were making a concerted push for Hanifin, which could simply be some rivalry gamesmanship on their part. At any rate, this report confirms that the Lightning are making a strong effort to fill in the void left by the injury to Mikhail Sergachev, and are not ready to cede the Atlantic Division to other up-and-coming teams in the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs.

An extension in Tampa Bay would be the most difficult part of any hypothetical transaction to acquire Hanifin, due to the Lightning only having around $10.85MM available to them in cap space this offseason, even with the salary cap set to rise to $87.7MM. If Tampa Bay is amicable to signing Hanifin at a deal they believe gives them solid value, General Manager Julien BriseBois may have to make a difficult choice between Hanifin, and pending unrestricted free agent forward Steven Stamkos this summer.

Other notes:

  • Friedman also noted some specifics regarding the trade speculation surrounding Flames’ goaltender Jacob Markstrom, and the details behind his public frustration with the organization. Markstrom was originally displeased with the front office due to them indicating they had a deal in place to send him to the New Jersey Devils but then reversed course due to the solid play of the team in recent weeks. Friedman reports that even if the Devils are unable to acquire Markstrom before March 8th, New Jersey would be more than happy to reignite trade talks with Calgary at the 2025 NHL Draft.
  • Lastly, Friedman confirmed that the Pittsburgh Penguins had set the asking price for forward Jake Guentzel at two prospects; not one prospect and a first-round pick. Friedman’s report comes a few days after President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas said to reporters that the Penguins’ primary focus at this year’s trade deadline would be to get younger overall. With several buyers not interested in parting with a first-round pick at this year’s trade deadline, the asking price for Guentzel may lead to a larger market for Pittsburgh to choose from.

Florida Panthers Making Push For Noah Hanifin

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ESPN’s Kevin Weekes is reporting that the Florida Panthers are making a solid push to acquire defenseman Noah Hanifin from the Calgary Flames. It is important to note that the Panthers do not have a first-round pick to offer in either the 2024 NHL Draft or the 2025 NHL Draft.

Even with the Panthers now involving themselves in the fray; the Arizona Coyotes, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Toronto Maple Leafs have all had reported interest in Hanifin’s services. Already carrying an impressive defensive unit, Florida may be trying to drive up the price for their rival in the Lightning.

If Hanifin does make his way to Sunrise by March 8th, it would immediately create a very good problem to have for the Panthers. By acquiring Hanifin, the organization would now have four top-four defensemen set to hit unrestricted free agency including Brandon Montour, Gustav Forsling, and the resurgent Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

The team would create some long-term flexibility on their back end, especially if one of Montour or Forsling left for greener pastures this summer. However, as all of them will no longer be a part of the Panthers organization on July 1st, 2024, there is no guarantee that any of them will decide to re-up in Florida.

The inclusion of the Panthers in the race for Hanifin is very reminiscent of the Boston Bruins’ acquisition of Dmitry Orlov last spring from the Washington Capitals. Now on pace to win the President’s Trophy with their current defensive core, Florida may be looking to put themselves over the top in the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs after falling three games short last year.

In now his sixth season with the Flames organization, Hanifin is once again putting together a solid year, making him the most popular trade deadline rental option this season. In 59 games so far, Hanifin has scored 11 goals and 34 points overall, averaging 23:44 minutes of ice time per night.

The looming question surrounding any acquisition of Hanifin is how receptive he will be in discussing a contract extension with the acquiring organization. Earlier in the year, Calgary reportedly offered an eight-year, $60MM extension to Hanfin and his camp, but that was evidently not enough to convince Hanifin to stay in Alberta long-term.

Vancouver Canucks Recall Vasily Podkolzin, Matt Irwin

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The Vancouver Canucks have recalled forward Vasily Podkolzin and defenseman Matt Irwin from their AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks, per a team announcement. The news comes shortly after the team reassigned Arshdeep Bains down to the AHL, and announced that Tyler Myers would be out week-to-week with an undisclosed injury.

Neither Podkolzin nor Irwin have suited up for a game in Vancouver yet this year, with both having only played in Abbotsford. In now his third season with the Canucks organization since being drafted by the team with the 10th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft, Podkolzin has yet to make any serious headway in climbing the ladder of the organizational depth chart.

This season, Podkolzin has played in 44 games for Abbotsford, scoring 15 goals and 28 points throughout the year. In his complete tenure in the Canucks organization at the AHL level, Podkolzin has played in a total of 72 games, scoring 22 goals and 46 points overall.

Irwin, on the other hand, is in his first year with the Canucks organization, coming over as an unrestricted free agent from a two-year stint with the Washington Capitals. Primarily used as a bottom-pairing defenseman throughout much of his career, Irwin has scored three goals and 10 points through 46 games in Abbotsford this season.

It is unlikely that either player will get much playing time at the NHL level, but there is an avenue for both of them. If Vancouver is looking to give any top-nine players a rest, Podkolzin could certainly fill that role for a short period. With Myers also out, the team will now have Irwin and Mark Friedman to choose from to fill in the void.

Dallas Stars Acquire Chris Tanev From Calgary Flames

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The Dallas Stars have acquired defenseman Chris Tanev from the Calgary Flames, and goaltender Cole Brady from the New Jersey Devils, per a team announcement. The Stars will send defensive prospect Artyom Grushnikov, a 2024 second-round pick, and a conditional 2026 third-round pick back to Calgary. Dallas has also sent a 2026 fourth-round pick to the Devils for their part in retaining 50% of Tanev’s salary for the remainder of the 2023-24 season.

As the Flames also retained 50% of Tanev’s contract, that brings his AAV down to just $1.125MM for the Stars. As far as the conditions on the conditional third-round pick headed to Calgary, the Flames will only receive this pick if Dallas makes it to the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.

With Tanev now in the fold, this gives Dallas a formidable top-four of their defensive unit with Miro Heiskanen, Thomas Harley, and Esa Lindell also in the mix. As Tanev was previously one of the grittier defensemen on this year’s trade market, he will make the Stars much more difficult to play against leading into the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs.

In the last season of a four-year, $18MM contract signed with the Flames organization, Tanev has averaged over 20 minutes a night in Calgary during his tenure. In 259 games played with the Flames, Tanev has scored a total of 10 goals and 67 points during his tenure in Alberta.

Nevertheless, the Stars undoubtedly targeted Tanev due to his defensive prowess, as he averaged close to a 90.0 on-ice save percentage in all situations over his career. Aside from carrying solid defensive awareness, Tanev has also averaged more than 100 blocked shots each season, and he will become the new leader in that category in Texas with 171 already this year.

Currently, in a backup role at the University of Massachusetts, Brady was brought to the Devils organization as a fifth-round selection in the 2019 NHL Draft. In now his fourth season in the NCAA, Brady has played in a total of 46 games for Massachusetts and Arizona State, earning a 16-18-4 record with a .902 SV%.

In return to Calgary, Grushnikov was originally drafted 48th overall by the Stars in the 2021 NHL Draft. In his first full season in the American Hockey League, he has played in 44 games for Dallas’ AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars, scoring one goal and five points overall. Nevertheless, Grushnikov does have solid defensive awareness like Tanev and can frustrate opposing players in his zone.

By adding the second-round selection and the conditional third-round pick, the Flames now have a total of 24 draft picks available to them in the next three NHL Drafts. Intent on rebuilding the team through the draft to supplement their core, General Manager Craig Conroy continues to stockpile picks through his trades this season to do just that.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports images. 

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report the deal. 

The Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli was the first to report the return to Calgary. 

The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun was the first to report the full return to Calgary. 

Seravalli was the first to report New Jersey’s involvement in the trade. 

Vancouver Canucks, Elias Pettersson Making Progress On Extension

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According to Frank Seravalli of The Daily Faceoff, the Vancouver Canucks and forward Elias Pettersson are making progress on a contract extension that would keep Pettersson in British Columbia for the next eight seasons, and it could be announced within the next several days. This marks a significant change in attitude from Pettersson, who appeared adamant about not wanting to discuss an extension with the Canucks during the season.

It will be interesting to see what the eventual dollar amount that Vancouver will give to Pettersson on this new contract. Heading into the offseason, the Canucks will have approximately $35.74MM available to them in cap space, with a total of nine players set to become unrestricted free agents, and another two set for restricted free agency, including Pettersson. Comparing Pettersson’s production and recent contracts given out to similar players, Pettersson could earn anywhere between $11MM-$13MM on this new deal.

Over the last two years, Pettersson has taken his production to another level, scoring 68 goals and 177 points in his last 141 games in Vancouver. Currently sitting 10th in the league in scoring on a team contending for the President’s Trophy, there is every reason to believe that Pettersson will finish much higher than 18th in Hart Trophy voting like he did last season.

Unfortunately, with the Canucks being tight to the cap ceiling even with the salary cap set to increase to $87.7MM next year, this likely means that Vancouver will be unable to extend recently acquired Elias Lindholm to a new deal. With Lindholm reportedly seeking an AAV of $9MM on his next contract, it would be rare to see a team sign their first- and second-highest-paid forward in the same offseason.

Nevertheless, this will set the Canucks core in place for the long haul, with the trio of Pettersson, J.T. Miller, and Quinn Hughes locked up until at least the 2026-27 season. Now that everything is clicking in Vancouver, the Canucks will now be able to reallocate money to supplement their core for the future.

Trade Deadline Primer: St. Louis Blues

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With the All-Star break in the rearview, the trade deadline looms large and is now less than two weeks away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the St. Louis Blues.

Last year, the Blues were one of the more active teams at the trade deadline, moving out Vladimir Tarasenko, Ryan O’Reilly, and Ivan Barbashev in separate deals. Outside of selling off pending unrestricted free agents, St. Louis did prepare to compete for this season, acquiring Jakub Vrana from the Detroit Red Wings and claiming Kasperi Kapanen off waivers, both of whom are still with the organization. With a lack of expiring contracts for star players, the Blues will not likely sell as much as they did last year, but could still trim their roster along the edges.

Record

30-26-2, 5th in the Central Division

Deadline Status

Conservative Sellers

Deadline Cap Space

$2.21MM of cap space on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 47/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2024: STL 1st, STL 2nd, TOR 2nd, STL 3rd, NYR 3rd, STL 4th, STL 5th, STL 7th, NYI 7th
2025: STL 1st, STL 2nd, STL 3rd, STL 4th, STL 5th, STL 6th

Trade Chips

Last week, there were reports that St. Louis was not necessarily shopping forward Pavel Buchnevich, but was listening to offers, easily making him their top trade chip heading into the deadline. Given that Elias Lindholm and Sean Monahan have each commanded a first-round pick to acquire, Buchnevich could easily fetch a similar return given that he is still signed for one more season at $5.8MM. Now in his third season with the Blues organization, Buchnevich is once again performing at a first-line level, scoring 23 goals and 47 points in 56 games so far this year.

Outside of Buchnevich, there are a few players in St. Louis currently on expiring contracts that would allow the Blues to add to their draft capital over the next two seasons. For a contending team looking to beef up their bottom-six forward group, Oskar Sundqvist, and Sammy Blais are both physical players that could add some grit to any lineup. Throughout this year, the two have combined for 223 hits in 102 games, and are sixth and first on the team in that category, respectively.

On the back end, Marco Scandella is the only pending unrestricted free agent in St. Louis, and could seamlessly transition into any team’s bottom-pairing. Although dealing with some injury concerns over the last two seasons, Scandella is still one of the better defensive defensemen in the league as evidenced by his 92.2 on-ice save percentage in all situations this season. Given that Scandella is no longer a top-four option on the blue line, he should only command a mid-round pick at this year’s deadline.

Team Needs

1) [Continue To Get Younger] – After last year’s selloff, the Blues got considerably younger, especially by adding two more first-round pick at last year’s draft. With Zachary Bolduc, Zach Dean, Jimmy Snuggerud, and Dalibor Dvorsky ready for full-time roles in the next few years, St. Louis needs to trim around the edges to open up roster spots for these young prospects. With only nine points separating 6th and 12th place in the Western Conference, the Blues could take advantage of a very competitive conference as soon as next season. Suppose the organization is amenable to moving out all of Kapanen, Blais, and Sundqvist within the next week. In that case, this should open up the necessary roster spots to start moving their prospects in.

2) [Look Into Capitalizing On Goaltending Market] – If the Blues are willing to become very aggressive at this year’s deadline, they could look into moving Jordan Binnington to one of the several goalie-desperate contending teams. Binnington has been solid this year for St. Louis, producing a 20-16-2 record in 41 games played, coupled with a .909 SV% and a 2.93 GAA. However, the team seemingly has an heir apparent ready to take over the starting role in 23-year-old Joel Hofer, whom the team drafted 107th overall in the 2018 NHL Draft. In his first full season with the Blues, Hofer has earned a 10-10-0 record in 22 games while producing a .910 SV% which places him at 14th in the league for goaltenders who have played in 20 or more games.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Injury Notes: Capitals, Terry, Seider, Soucy, Joshua

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After a loss to the Detroit Red Wings last night, the Washington Capitals should see the return of several players back into the lineup. Tarik El-Bashir of Monumental Sports Network is reporting that Sonny Milano, Nic Dowd, and Nick Jensen have all returned to the ice for practice.

The return of Jensen from a lower-body injury adds to the team’s already above-average defensive depth, and may even make the team more comfortable moving out pending unrestricted free agent Joel Edmundson before the March 8th trade deadline. In regards to the return of Milano and Dowd, the Capitals will be able to return Michael Sgarbossa and Pierrick Dube to their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, where they have each spent most of the year up to this point.

In eight games leading up to last night’s loss, Washington began building some serious momentum toward a playoff berth, putting together a 5-1-2 record. After yesterday’s game, the Capitals are now six points back of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, with only three games remaining until the trade deadline.

Other injury notes:

  • According to Derek Lee of the Sporting Tribune, Anaheim Ducks forward Troy Terry was practicing today in a non-contact jersey and will travel with the team for their upcoming road game against the San Jose Sharks. Thankfully, Terry has only been out a total of four days, so it does not sound like the upper-body injury will keep him out of the lineup long-term. Enjoying a mildly healthier season than last year, Terry has skated in a total of 54 games for the Ducks this season, scoring 17 goals and 45 points in the process.
  • Blocking a total of five shots in last night’s game against the Capitals, Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider was in visible pain for much of the game. Heavily utilized by Detroit, Seider has averaged 22:14 minutes a night throughout this season, but would only play in about 18 minutes of yesterday’s contest. In positive news, the team announced that there is no injury concern for their top defenseman, and he will be good to go tomorrow.
  • In an update on a couple of injured members of the Vancouver Canucks, Brendan Batchelor of Sportsnet reports that defenseman Carson Soucy will see the team doctor today, and that forward Dakota Joshua will see the team doctor later this week. In his first year with the organization, Soucy has seemingly been injured for much of the year, already having missed half the season with still 20 games to go. The team will be hoping for positive news coming out of the meeting with the team doctor, as the Canucks would like to get Soucy back into the lineup in preparation for the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Snaphots: Zegras, Lajoie, Timmins

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In a report from Eric Stephens of The Athletic, Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras has been off crutches for about a week and can return to the ice in a week or two. If the predicted time of his return is accurate, the Ducks may have a potential trade chip available for the March 8th trade deadline.

Over the last few months, Zegras has been mentioned in some trade rumors, especially after Anaheim parted ways with Jamie Drysdale earlier in January. Still, at only 22 years old, Zegras represents a viable second-line center option for many contending teams, as well as a potential long-term fit with a handful of rebuilding teams.

Outside of this season, Zegras has typically maintained a clean bill of health, averaging over 75 games in his first two full-time seasons in the NHL. Over four years with the Ducks, Zegras has played in a total of 200 games in Anaheim, scoring a total of 53 goals and 146 points in the process.

Other notes:

  • Per a team announcement, the Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled defenseman Maxime Lajoie from their AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies. Primarily used as a depth defenseman in Toronto’s system this year, Lajoie has only played in seven games for the Maple Leafs this season, tallying one assist in total. With the Marlies this season, Lajoie has been much more productive, scoring two goals and 17 points in 31 games played.
  • Sticking in Toronto, TSN’s Mark Masters reported that Maple Leafs defenseman Conor Timmins is not quite cleared for contact yet, but can begin skating again. According to the report, Timmins is dealing with an internal injury, which has kept him from playing since January 24th. In the games that Timmins has been able to play in, he has scored one goal and six points from Toronto’s blue line.

West Notes: Lankinen, Kempe, Pouliot

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During media availability today, the General Manager of the Nashville Predators, Barry Trotz, mentioned that the team has received trade calls on backup goaltender Kevin Lankinen (X Link). This announcement now confirms that both Nashville goaltenders are receiving trade interest, as some viable playoff candidates remain interested in Juuse Saros, as well.

In his second season within the Predators organization, Lankinen has continued to be a serviceable backup option for the team, producing an 8-4-0 record in 17 games played, coupled with a .892 SV% and 3.23 GAA. For any acquiring team, it is more than unlikely that Lankinen will become a serviceable starting option, although he has been required to play nearly half the season earlier in his career with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Fortunately, if Nashville ends up moving either goalie in their current tandem at this year’s deadline, Yaroslav Askarov appears ready to make the full-time jump to the NHL. Currently rostered on the Milwaukee Admirals, Askarov holds a 21-7-1 record, a .920 SV%, 2.11 GAA, as well as riding a current 19-game winning streak in the American Hockey League.

Other West notes:

  • TSN’s Darren Dreger is reporting that Los Angeles Kings forward Adrian Kempe is returning to California to receive an MRI. Although the Kings have not performed as well as initially expected this season, the team still sits in the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference. With Kempe being the team’s leading scorer at this point in the year, and the recent injury to forward Viktor Arvidsson, Los Angeles may be an active team at the deadline in acquiring a top-six forward.
  • The Dallas Stars have loaned defenseman Derrick Pouliot to their AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars, per a team announcement. Taking part in a critical game against the Colorado Avalanche tonight, the loan of Pouliot means that either Nils Lundkvist or Jani Hakanpaa are ready to return to the lineup tonight. In five games with the Stars since February 19th, Pouliot has failed to score a point while averaging a touch over 12 minutes of ice time per night.

Metro Notes: Flyers, Rust, Chatfield

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Earlier today, the Philadelphia Flyers announced a plethora of injuries, revealing that Rasmus Ristolainen and Jamie Drysdale would both be out week-to-week with upper-body injuries and that Travis Konecny would be out day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Still holding strong in their attempt to make the playoffs, these injuries could impact the Flyers’ competitiveness moving forward over their next several games.

Not only will Philadelphia be playing without some of their regular players for the next couple of games, but it will take a potential trade chip off the board in Ristolainen. Although he does carry a relatively expensive cap hit of $5.1MM until after the 2026-27 NHL season, Ristolainen has appeared in some trade chatter over the last several weeks. Dealing with some injury concerns earlier in the season, Ristolainen has responded with one goal and four points over 31 games with the Flyers, averaging 16:41 of ice time per game.

The major concern, however, will be with Drysdale, who is building an extensive injury history in only his fourth season in the NHL. Last season, Drysdale infamously lost the entirety of the year after eight games for a shoulder injury that would require surgery and did miss two months of action earlier this season when he was still a member of the Anaheim Ducks with a lower-body injury.

Other Metro notes:

  • Matt Vensel of Post-Gazette Sports is reporting that Pittsburgh Penguins forward Bryan Rust will be out week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Falling further and further out of contention, the loss of Rust for the next few weeks will certainly not help Pittsburgh rise in the standings. Potentially becoming one of the deadline’s more important sellers, losing both Rust and Jake Guentzel over the last few days may ultimately force the Penguins’ hand in their eventual deadline approach.
  • Missing the team’s last four games with an upper-body injury, Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jalen Chatfield is set to return tonight according to the Hurricanes’ Editorial Content Producer, Walt Ruff. Chatfield has been solid for Carolina this season, scoring five goals and 14 points in 49 games, while holding a strong CorsiFor% of 58.4%.

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