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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%.

New Jersey Devils Interested In Juuse Saros

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In an article from Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, he mentions that the New Jersey Devils have had a consistent interest over the last several weeks in goaltender Juuse Saros of the Nashville Predators. However, Seravalli points out that the General Manager of the Predators, Barry Trotz, has been informing teams that Saros will not be moved while the Predators are in a playoff position.

The Devils’  situation between the pipes has been an issue dating back to last summer when the team was strongly connected to Winnipeg Jets’ goaltender Connor Hellebuyck before he signed a seven-year contract extension in Manitoba. Throughout this season, New Jersey has largely been connected to nearly all the names currently present on the market, while almost acquiring Jacob Markstrom from the Calgary Flames a few weeks ago.

The problem in net has been persistent this year, with the Devils currently ranked 22nd in the NHL in goals against per game, and 31st in the league in team save percentage. Combining the numbers from Vitek Vanecek, Nico Daws, and Akira Schmid at the NHL level this season, the team has a .892 SV%, 3.22 GAA, and a whopping -20.5 goals saved above average.

Even with experiencing a down-season by his standards, Saros would mark an immediate upgrade over all three goalies that have started for New Jersey this season. In 46 starts, Saros has managed a 23-21-2 record coupled with a .904 SV% and a 2.95 GAA. Before this year, Saros finished top-10 in Vezina Trophy voting in each of the last three seasons and is still signed for a moderate $5MM salary for one more year.

Owning just short of $9.5MM in cap space come deadline day, the Devils could comfortably afford the contract of Saros, especially if they were able to move out Vanecek in the same deal too. Nashville may not be too high on Vanecek overall but could view him as an expensive short-term backup with his contract ending after the 2024-25 season.

As Seravalli highlighted in his article, the Predators do not seem keen on making a substantial move in net when the team currently holds the last wild-card spot in the Western Conference. Things could change leading up to the March 8th trade deadline, with Nashville sustaining plenty of pressure from the St. Louis Blues, Minnesota Wild, Calgary Flames, and Seattle Kraken for that spot.

If the Predators do end up moving out Saros, they already have an heir-apparent in Yaroslav Askarov currently playing for their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals. As the team currently rides a 19-game winning streak, Askarov has produced a 21-7-1 record throughout the season with a .920 SV% and 2.11 GAA, showing that he may be ready to take the full-time step to the NHL.

Central Notes: Zaitsev, Murphy, Athanasiou, Stecher

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Struggling to keep their defensive core intact through multiple injuries this season, the Chicago Blackhawks could see the return of Nikita Zaitsev rather soon, as the veteran defenseman returned to practice today (X Link). Unfortunately, as highlighted in the same report, Chicago will have to wait for the return of Connor Murphy, who has recovered slower than expected from his lower-body injury.

Although keeping the likes of Zaitsev and Murphy in the lineup each night would ultimately make the Blackhawks a more competitive team this season, they are still in the middle of their rebuild, without having any intention of competing in the Western Conference anytime soon. Being that it is never positive when a player gets injured, it becomes a touch more bittersweet in Chicago as the team can call up prospects to test their mettle at the top level without much pressure on their shoulders.

This season alone, the Blackhawks have been able to graduate defensemen Kevin Korchinski and Louis Crevier to the NHL level, and both have shown flashes of being regular parts of the lineup moving forward. Nevertheless, especially in the early years of their rebuild, Chicago will have to balance calling prospects up too early and giving them meaningful minutes at the professional level, meaning veterans such as Murphy and Zaitsev still hold a valuable spot on the active roster.

Other Central notes:

  • Staying in Chicago, Mario Tirabassi of CHGO Blackhawks reports that although forward Andreas Athanasiou has recently been a full participant in practice, there is still no timetable for his return. Signed to a two-year, $8.5MM contract extension at the end of last season, Athanasiou has only mustered 11 games for the Blackhawks this season after suffering a lower-body injury in early November. With one more year on his contract after this season, Athanasiou still has plenty of time to recover from his lost season to recoup some value potentially.
  • Moving southwest, Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports is reporting that the Arizona Coyotes will see the return of defenseman Troy Stecher tonight in their game against the Montreal Canadiens. Stecher has missed the last 13 games for the Coyotes after suffering a lower-body injury on January 20th. Choosing to return to Arizona after a trade deadline deal with the Calgary Flames last year, Stecher has suited up in 42 games for the Coyotes this season, scoring one goal and five points while averaging 18:41 minutes a night.

Injury Notes: Mayfield, MacLean, Fleury, Jeannot, Power

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Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News is reporting that New York Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield is out with a lower-body injury. In a follow-up report, Ethan Sears of the New York Post reports that Mayfield will not travel with the team to their upcoming games against the Dallas Stars or Detroit Red Wings.

Slipping further and further back in the standings, New York’s schedule won’t get any easier as their next three games come against teams currently holding a playoff position. Without Mayfield, the Islanders will have to re-shuffle their defensive core, and may even break apart the solid duo of Noah Dobson and Alexander Romanov. Signed to a seven-year, $24.5MM contract this past offseason, Mayfield has left a lot to be desired, with his CorsiFor% and On-Ice Save Percentage in all situations falling below his career averages.

To fill in the spot on the active roster left by Mayfield, the Islanders did recall forward Kyle MacLean but had to maneuver him in a specific way to stay compliant with the salary cap (X Link). As an infrequent member of the team’s bottom six this season, MacLean has suited up in a total of seven games for New York, managing one goal and 14 hits in total.

Other injury notes:

  • Talking to the head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Jon Cooper, this morning, Eduardo Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports that defenseman Haydn Fleury is considered day-to-day, while the team will also have to wait for the return of forward Tanner Jeannot. Although Fleury has generally been regarded as a depth option at defense for the Lightning, their injuries this season have led him to nearly 16 minutes of ice time per night over 17 games, a minute higher than his career average.
  • Out since February 10th with an undisclosed injury, Heather Engel of the NHL is reporting that Buffalo Sabres defenseman Owen Power is close to a return, and may even be cleared to play tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes. In the midst of a sophomore slump, Power is projected to finish short of his production last year without factoring in the missed games due to injury. Nevertheless, much of Power’s lack of production can be placed at the feet of his usual defensive partners Erik Johnson and Connor Clifton, both of whom have struggled immensely in their first season in Buffalo.

Philadelphia Flyers Recall Olle Lycksell

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The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled forward Olle Lycksell from their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, for the third time this season, per a team announcement. In his most recent call-up to Philadelphia, Lycksell skated in four games for the Flyers, tallying two assists.

Although he has been more of a depth forward for Philadelphia this season, Lycksell has been a premier player for the Phantoms in the AHL. Over 38 games in Lehigh Valley this year, Lycksell has been one of the best players on the roster, scoring 18 goals and 32 points, including a two-goal, four-point performance last evening. Currently sitting second on the team in points, Lycksell is still leading the way with the most goals on the team and the highest point-per-game average.

It’s been more of the same for Lycksell at the AHL level, who had a highly productive rookie season in the AHL as recently as last year. In 53 games during his first year in North America, Lycksell put together a 14-goal, 45-point performance. Being a former-sixth-round selection of the Flyers back in the 2017 NHL Draft, they could have found a potential diamond in the rough if Lycksell can keep up this offensive production at the NHL level.

Even though Lehigh Valley is not competing for the Calder Cup this season, it may still be advantageous for the Flyers to keep Lycksell down in the minor leagues for more exposure. Competing for their own hardware this year, Lycksell may not have much opportunity at the NHL level with Philadelphia opting to put forward a more rugged bottom-six.

Poll: Which Team Will Trade For Jake Guentzel?

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Over the last several weeks, Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jake Guentzel has been gaining steam as one of the biggest fishes available at this year’s deadline. Even after suffering an injury that will keep him out until the deadline, plenty of competitive teams remain interested in his services for their playoff push.

In tonight’s edition of ’Saturday Headlines’, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the Carolina Hurricanes, Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights, and Vancouver Canucks as specific teams that have checked in with Pittsburgh regarding Guentzel. Of the five teams listed, factoring in available assets and deadline salary cap space, the Hurricanes, Panthers, and Golden Knights strike as the likeliest landing spots if Guentzel does indeed get moved.

In any trade for Guentzel, a first-round pick will undoubtedly need to go back to Pittsburgh, as well as a young prospect. Just yesterday, the General Manager of the Penguins, Kyle Dubas, told the media that Pittsburgh would place a priority on getting younger in any deal that they make. With the Golden Knights and Panthers having Brendan Brisson and Mackie Samoskevich at their disposal, respectively, they are in advantageous positions to give the Penguins what they are looking for.

All-in-all, there is no guarantee that Pittsburgh will move Guentzel at all, as he has created quite a bond with franchise icon Sidney Crosby over the last several years. Owning a projected $17.54MM available to them on July 1st this summer, the Penguins could opt to sign Guentzel to a long-term contract to take over as the face of the franchise once Crosby’s playing days are over.

Now it’s your turn to vote — will any one of these teams deal for Guentzel by March 8th, or will the Penguins decide to keep him around for the long haul?

If you can’t access the poll above, click here to vote.

Trade Deadline Primer: Philadelphia Flyers

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With the All-Star break in the rearview, the trade deadline looms large and is now just 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 Philadelphia Flyers.

With an eye on rebuilding, the Flyers have had a surprisingly productive season. Currently sitting in third-place in the Metropolitan Division, Philadelphia has a solid five-point lead for their position, and are headed for the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs. However, General Manager Daniel Briere has been adamant that the Flyers are not looking to mortgage their future, and may even end up selling a few pieces off by the deadline.

Record

30-21-7, 3rd in the Metropolitan

Deadline Status

Standing Pat/Conservative Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$8.99MM on deadline day, 1/3 retention slots used, 48/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2024: PHI 1st, FLA 1st*, PHI 2nd, CBJ 2nd**, PHI 3rd, PHI 4th, LA 5th, PHI 6th, STL, 6th, PHI 7th
2025: PHI 1st, PHI 2nd, ANA 2nd, PHI 3rd, PHI 4th, PHI 5th, CAR 5th, PHI 6th, PHI 7th

*-If Florida’s first-round pick falls within the top 10 of the 2024 NHL Draft, Philadelphia will receive Florida’s first-round pick in 2025 as apart of the Claude Giroux trade. 

**-Columbus will have until the end of the first-round of the 2024 NHL Draft to decide if they will send Philadelphia their 2024 second-round pick or their 2025 second-round pick as apart of the Ivan Provorov trade. 

Trade Chips

As highlighted today, Philadelphia’s most likely trade chips will be coming out of their defensive core. Defensemen Sean Walker and Nick Seeler are generating the most attention on the market, with the team reportedly listening to offers on veteran center Scott Laughton as well.

Having already engaged with Seeler’s camp about a potential contract extension, it certainly appears that Walker will end up being the odd-man out for the Flyers. Acquired this past offseason in the deal that sent Provorov to the Columbus Blue Jackets, Walker has handled over 19 minutes a night on average over 57 games, scoring three goals and 20 points in the process. Given that they could retain 50% of Walker’s salary in any deal, Philadelphia could look to add even more draft capital for the next two seasons.

The market for Laughton will be a little bit more difficult to ascertain, as he is still signed for two years and $6MM beyond this season. Any team acquiring Laughton will certainly be looking to get more physical ahead of the playoffs with that being the part of his game. Producing a relatively average faceoff rate and defensive metrics, Laughton is good to score between 30-40 points a year, depending on how he would be utilized by the acquiring team.

Team Needs

1) Acquire More Lottery Tickets – Unlike many teams across the league, the Flyers have the opportunity to take their roster in a lot of different directions. Already having a cemented core of Sean Couturier, Travis Konecny, Owen Tippett, Joel Farabee, and Travis Sanheim, the team has the opportunity to add supplementary players in a lot of different ways. Already making a major move along these lines with the acquisition of Jamie Drysdale earlier in the season; a deal such as this should be the strategy for Philadelphia move forward as their deadline approach. While desiring to hold on to their draft capital, the Flyers could look to grab Philip Broberg from the Edmonton Oilers or Arthur Kaliyev from the Los Angeles Kings in return for Walker or Laughton by March 8th.

2) Map-Out Goaltending – Since Carter Hart was granted an indefinite leave of absence on January 23rd due to his inclusion in the 2018 Team Canada sexual assault investigation, the Flyers goaltending has taken a different trajectory alltogether. In the first 47 games of the year, Philadelphia managed a 2.83 GAA and a .901 SV% as a team, helping them stockpile points and make their rise in the standings. Since Hart’s leave, the team has struggled considerably, producing a 3.30 GAA and a .866 SV%. Felix Sandstrom has not inspired much hope this season in Lehigh Valley as he’s only managed an .882 SV% through 20 games, and Ivan Fedotov’s age will likely cut him out as the future of the franchise in net. While many contending teams are looking to improve their situations in the crease, Philadelphia may have to wait until the summer to figure out their plan in goal. Nevertheless, with Hart’s status up in the air moving forward, their long-term vision in net should certainly be on their radar.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Sharks Assign Jacob MacDonald To AHL

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Feb. 21: MacDonald cleared waivers Wednesday, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. The Sharks subsequently assigned him to the Barracuda, per a team announcement.

Feb. 20: The San Jose Sharks have placed defenseman Jacob MacDonald on waivers, per a report from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Not only will this mark MacDonald’s first waiver placement of the season, but also represents the first time the Sharks have attempted to move MacDonald down to their AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda.

A versatile player for the Sharks, MacDonald will more than likely offer the same versatility to the Barracuda in the coming days as they stay committed in their playoff hunt. Over 22 games for the Sharks this year, MacDonald has scored six goals and seven points overall while averaging a touch over 12 minutes of ice time per game.

Even though he’s played in about half as many games as his peers on the roster, MacDonald sits tied for eighth on the team in total goals and tied for third on the team in powerplay goals. Due to the playing time he has been offered in San Jose, MacDonald has scored 13 points over 47 games with the Sharks, two more points than he achieved with the Colorado Avalanche, even with 27 more games played.

At the AHL level, MacDonald has produced at a solid rate, scoring 68 goals and 121 assists over 271 career games. If he does clear waivers, it will mark his first action in the AHL since the 2021-22 season, when he scored 10 goals and 25 points in 33 games for the Colorado Eagles.

Chicago Blackhawks Place Zach Sanford On Waivers

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Feb. 21: Sanford passed through waivers unclaimed, Friedman reports Wednesday.

Feb. 20: According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Chicago Blackhawks have placed forward Zach Sanford on waivers for the purpose of reassignment to their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs. It will not be the first time that Sanford has found himself on the waiver wire this season; he originally came to Chicago by way of a waiver claim from the Arizona Coyotes on Jan. 6th.

Serving as organizational depth in Arizona, Sanford was brought to the Blackhawks organization for the same purpose. During a stretch in January, Chicago experienced a plethora of injuries up and down their roster, creating a need for a viable injury replacement to eat minutes.

With the organization now returning to some semblance of a healthy roster, the Blackhawks no longer required Sanford at the bottom of their roster. Over 15 games in Chicago, Sanford averaged 11:45 a night, tallying three assists overall.

Although Sanford can no longer be relied upon as a regular bottom-six option for most teams, the number of organizations now experiencing injury concerns may lead Sanford to his third organization of the year. Already claimed on waivers once this season, a team like the Vegas Golden Knights or San Jose Sharks could use Sanford’s services to eat minutes while their other players return to health.

Update On San Jose’s Deadline Plans

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In an article today from David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, he indicates that the San Jose Sharks holding the status of a deadline seller could be a bit of an understatement. Pagnotta reports that San Jose General Manager Mike Grier has the phone lines open and is well-positioned to complete a full-on fire sale by March 8th.

Although some teams have reportedly been calling the Sharks in regards to Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl, their contracts and injury status this season make a trade all the more unlikely. A bulk of San Jose’s movement should primarily come out of their second- and third-tier groups, such as Mario Ferraro, Anthony Duclair, Mikael Granlund, Mike Hoffman, Alexander Barabanov, Luke Kunin, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Kaapo Kahkonen, Kevin Labanc, and Jan Rutta.

Outside of a few, most of these players may not command a large return individually but could net the Sharks a nice return in the bigger picture. With the bonus of being able to retain the salary of at least one outgoing player, San Jose’s cupboard for prospects and draft picks could very well expand considerably in the next 20 days.

As far as what the Sharks may be looking for in a return, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now wrote today that the head coach of the team, David Quinn, is looking to add more size to the lineup. Depending on how aggressive the organization wants to be in realizing this desire from Quinn, there should be options available to them at the deadline.

Although an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, San Jose could look to poach defenseman Tyler Myers away from the Vancouver Canucks, who is tied for the tallest defenseman in the NHL this season. Unfortunately, Myers is the owner of a modified no-trade clause, and he may be unwilling to drop 30 spots in the standings for a change of scenery.

The available options certainly shrink on the offensive front, but there is one option that could entice the Sharks at this year’s deadline. Recently positioning themselves as a deadline buyer, the Detroit Red Wings could be willing to part with prospect Elmer Soderblom for the right return. Standing at the same height as Myers, the 22-year-old prospect has scored six goals and 19 points in 41 games for the Grand Rapids Griffins this season.

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