Afternoon Snapshots: Olympics, Tanev, Monahan, Kakko
Currently, the last time that NHL players were included in the Olympics was the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games. Due to a dispute over funding in 2018, the Olympic hockey teams were composed of professional players not currently residing on an NHL roster. Set to go back in 2022, those plans were unfortunately canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
With the 2026 Winter Olympic Games to be shared between Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo in Italy, the NHL is once again looking to send the world’s best hockey players back to the international event. In today’s edition of TSN’s Insider Trading, Chris Johnson reports that Commissioner Gary Bettman is set to meet with the International Ice Hockey Federation tomorrow, and he could make the announcement as soon as Friday in Toronto.
Not only is the league looking for a return to the Olympics, but they are also looking to bring back a World Cup, which would begin in 2028 under the reported deal. Although nothing is currently set in stone, it does appear momentum is heading in the right direction for the return of NHL players to international hockey.
Other snapshots:
- During the Insider Trading segment, TSN’s Darren Dreger mentions a new team interested in the services of Calgary Flames’ defenseman Chris Tanev; the Ottawa Senators. One would have to assume that if the Senators were to acquire Tanev at the trade deadline, an extension would almost have to be worked out, given that they are all but out of the playoff race even at this point in the season. However, the reported interest in Tanev may just be a ploy to drive up the price for their intra-provincial rival, the Toronto Maple Leafs.
- After a lost season to injury last year, Montreal Canadiens forward Sean Monahan has found himself back on the trade market for this year’s trade deadline. With most teams waiting to see what happens with the Flames’ Elias Lindholm, Pierre Lebrun indicates that once that domino does fall, and Montreal commits to trading Monahan, it is more than likely the Canadiens will be able to fetch a first-round pick for a few months of Monahan, especially if they are willing to retain salary.
- To finish off the reports from Insider Trading, Dreger also indicates that the General Manager of the New York Rangers, Chris Drury, has begun receiving calls on the availability of Kaapo Kakko. With Filip Chytil now missing the rest of the 2023-24 season due to injury, the Rangers have quite the hole down the middle after Mika Zibanejad and Vincent Trocheck. Only a few years removed from being the second overall pick, New York could build a package for a center with Kakko as the main piece heading back the other way.
Blue Jackets Expected To Be Active At Trade Deadline
Amid another disappointing season, Lyle Richardson of The Hockey News wrote an article today encompassing the deadline plans for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Having not made the playoffs since the 2019-20 season, the Blue Jackets are expected to be an active seller at this year’s deadline.
Looking to take the next step in their short rebuild, Columbus made an unexpected splash two summers ago, signing Johnny Gaudreau to a seven-year, $68.25MM contract. Leading the team in points in his first year with the organization, the efforts of Gaudreau were not enough to get them over the hump, finishing with a 37-38-7 record.
Largely justifying the poor season by missing several players due to injury, the Blue Jackets doubled down this past summer, bringing in defensemen Damon Severson and Ivan Provorov through separate trades. Nevertheless, even with the new and improved defensive core, Columbus is on pace for an even worse record this year while they sit dead last in the Eastern Conference.
Appearing to understand the roster may not have been built as effectively as possible, a few days ago reports surfaced that indicated the Blue Jackets would be willing to listen to offers on both Provorov and Patrik Laine. Already unfeasible for the team to move on from Laine’s $8.7MM salary mid-season, he was essentially taken off the market due to his admittance into the NHLPA Player Assistance Program a few days after the initial report.
Adding to the list of players that the Blue Jackets may be willing to move on from, earlier this month, goaltender Elvis Merzlikins reportedly requested a trade once his role with the organization began to diminish. In a buyer market desperate for goaltending help, Merzlikins quickly became one of the most popular trade targets thanks to his .901 SV% on a disappointing Columbus team.
To add more salt to the wound, in the initial article from Richardson, he mentions that top-prospect David Jiricek has become increasingly frustrated with his situation in Columbus, leading to some speculation that the team could move on from him as well. Given his importance as a young up-and-coming blue liner for the team, it is more than unlikely that he will be included in any trade for the Blue Jackets this season, but after being ferried up and down from the minors of the last several weeks, his growing impatience with the team could be something to monitor.
Mackenzie MacEachern To Miss Remainder Of 2023-24 Season
Currently playing for the Springfield Thunderbirds of the St.Louis Blues organization, Mackenzie MacEachern will have to wait until next season to make his way up the organizational depth chart. The team announced today that MacEachern suffered a shoulder injury in the Thunderbirds’ game on January 27th and that he will undergo season-ending surgery.
Besides a one-year pit stop with the Carolina Hurricanes organization a few years ago, MacEachern has been a part of the Blues organization for the majority of the time since 2016-17. Originally drafted by the team with the 67th overall pick of the 2012 NHL Draft, MacEachern has struggled to carve out a path in the NHL.
Largely destined for a bottom-six role in his future with St.Louis, MacEachern has played in a total of 123 regular season games wearing the blue note, scoring 11 goals and 20 points in the process. This year specifically, MacEachern will finish with one assist over eight games with the Blues, and six goals and 19 points in 34 games with Springfield.
Playing for the last three AHL affiliates for St.Louis, MacEachern has faired much better in the minor leagues, scoring 49 goals and 111 points throughout 252 games split between Springfield, the Chicago Wolves, and the San Antonio Rampage. A quality postseason producer in the AHL as well, MacEachern has scored eight goals and 16 points in 28 games through two Calder Cup playoff runs.
Thankfully for MacEachern, he does have a bit of security on his current deal, given that he is on the first year of a two-year, $1.55MM contract signed with the Blues this past summer. Now taking the foreseeable future rehabbing from shoulder surgery, MacEachern will once again try his luck next season to carve out a full-time role in St.Louis.
Injury Notes: Kane, Perunovich, Kapanen
Heading into the team’s game tomorrow night against the Ottawa Senators, there was some hope from the Detroit Red Wings that forward Patrick Kane could be healthy enough to return, after missing the team’s last six games with a lower-body injury. Nevertheless, Ansar Khan of MLive reports that Kane will not be in the lineup tomorrow night for Detroit, and the team will allow him to rest and recover over the upcoming All-Star break.
With Kane making a strong comeback after offseason hip resurfacing surgery, the saving grace to this injury is that all signs are pointing to it being unrelated to his hip. However, with Kane making such an unexpectedly impressive return from resurfacing surgery, having to deal with a separate issue could likely lead to some frustration for the veteran forward.
Even though he has become one of the better forwards in the lineup, the Red Wings have faired well in his absence, producing a 4-2-0 record and picking up important victories against the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning. Once he does return after the All-Star break, Kane will look to improve on his 16-point total and reinforce Detroit’s current momentum.
Other injury notes:
- Suffering a lower-body injury in the team’s most recent game against the Los Angeles Kings, Lou Korac of The Hockey News reports that St.Louis Blues defenseman Scott Perunovich was seen wearing a boot on his left foot this morning, and would be out through the All-Star break. Thankfully, the injury does not sound as serious as expected, meaning that Perunovich should be able to return shortly thereafter. On the season, Perunovich has suited up in 31 games for the Blues, tallying 12 assists while averaging about 14 and a half minutes a night.
- Sticking in St.Louis, although it has already been confirmed that forward Kasperi Kapanen will be out through the All-Star break, Lou Korac reports that he was back at practice this morning for the team. Residing on the team’s injured reserve for the last two weeks, Kapanen was on a much slower pace compared to last season before the injury, only scoring four goals and 13 points through 42 games.
Trade Deadline Primer: Boston Bruins
With the All-Star break approaching, the trade deadline looms large and is about a month and a half away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Boston Bruins.
Not quite as dominant as last season, the Bruins are still looking like one of the best regular season teams in the NHL, currently knocking on the door of back-to-back President’s Trophy victories, an accomplishment that has not been done since the 2016-17 Washington Capitals. Unfortunately, even though Boston has been one of the best regular season teams over the last several years, they have failed to move past the semi-finals in the postseason since their 2018-19 Stanley Cup Final loss to the St.Louis Blues. Nevertheless, with some long-term cap flexibility created this past summer, the Bruins could look to acquire players with term; something they have been unable to do for the last several years.
Record
31-9-9, 1st in the Atlantic
Deadline Status
Buyer
Deadline Cap Space
$862.5K on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 47/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.
Upcoming Draft Picks
2024: BOS 1st*, BOS 4th, BOS 5th, BOS 6th
2025: BOS 1st*, BOS 3rd, BOS 5th, BOS 6th, BOS 7th
*On March 2, 2023, Boston traded their 2024 first-round pick to the Detroit Red Wings with a top-10 protection placed on it. If the pick falls within the top 10 of the 2024 NHL Draft, the Bruins would then send the Red Wings an unprotected 2025 first-round pick instead. On July 9, 2023, Detroit conditionally traded the draft pick to the Ottawa Senators, with the Red Wings having the option of trading Ottawa their own 2024 first-round pick, or the Bruins’ 2024 first-round pick, with the original top-10 protections still in place.
Trade Chips
Having only eight draft picks over the next two years, it is unlikely that the Bruins will use their draft capital to make any major additions to their roster come the trade deadline. With Boston more than likely not picking until the fourth round of the 2024 NHL Draft, it would not be a surprise to see the Bruins acquire an obscure fourth- or fifth-round pick in any trade over the next few weeks, even as a buyer.
Furthermore, with a need for young and cheap talent, it would be unlikely to see the Bruins part with any of Matthew Poitras, Mason Lohrei, Georgii Merkulov, or John Beecher, given their long-term importance to the continuing success of the organization. The one asset that Boston does have, however, is long-term cap space beyond this season. If they were to pursue a player with term on their contract, the Bruins may be able to dangle pieces off of their active roster, without sacrificing too much of their future.
With many teams in desperate need of goaltending, Boston is in the envious position of having two All-Star goalies able to start for them every game, and the Bruins could certainly dangle one of them to improve other weak spots on their roster. Signed for this season and next at $5MM a year, Linus Ullmark has put together another quality season, securing a 15-6-2 record in 24 games, holding a .913 save percentage and 2.78 GAA. On the flip side, Jeremy Swayman will once again be arbitration-eligible next summer and has been one of the best goaltenders in the league with a 16-3-7 record in 27 games played on the year, also achieving a .924 SV% and 2.30 GAA.
Outside of their excess between the pipes, the Bruins may also be willing to listen to offers on Jake DeBrusk, who becomes an unrestricted free agent at season’s end. Once again being an effective goal-scorer for Boston, DeBrusk has scored 12 goals and 25 points in 47 games this season. It would not be a major surprise to work out a deal to improve their roster with DeBrusk as the centerpiece going the other way, especially if DeBrusk is willing to sign an extension with the acquiring team.
Team Needs
1) Center Help: Ever since the retirements of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, it was a foregone conclusion that the Bruins would need to improve their center depth if there was any hope of a serious playoff run. The team has played well with the combination of Pavel Zacha and Charlie Coyle centering the top-two lines, but with a team faceoff percentage of 49.3% (19th in the NHL), Boston will need to improve down the middle to win big draws in the playoffs at the very least. All three of Elias Lindholm, Sean Monahan, and Adam Henrique would allow the Bruins to add more punch down the middle, as well as strengthen their ability in the dot.
2) Stay The Course: Losing in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs after breaking the record for wins in a regular season will be a blight on the Bruins’ history for years to come. However, it is important to remember that Boston was only two shots away from reaching the second round, losing in overtime in Game 5 as well as Game 7 to the Florida Panthers. Outside of the need for help down the middle, it is tough to point out any point of the game that the Bruins are truly lacking. Rather than deal out any of their remaining draft capital, or move on from young prospects ready to make an impact, Boston should trust in his team to get over the hump, as they have shown they can beat nearly any team they play against over the last several years.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Injury Notes: Karlsson, Kapanen, Faulk, Fleury
Having played their last game before the NHL All-Star break on Saturday night, the Vegas Golden Knights will get a reinforcement as soon as they return, as forward William Karlsson has been officially activated from the long-term injured reserve (X Link). Out with a lower-body injury since the team’s Winter Class game against the Seattle Kraken, Karlsson has missed a total of 12 games for the Golden Knight with this injury.
Although Karlsson has largely been one of the more productive scorers on Vegas’ roster this season, the team has produced a 7-4-1 record in his absence, garnering more appreciation as a Stanley Cup contender in the Western Conference. Before his lower-body injury took him out of the lineup, Karlsson scored 15 goals and 32 points in 38 games for the Golden Knights which still places him fourth on the team in scoring.
As Vegas continues to the Vancouver Canucks as the top team in the Pacific Division, Karlsson will be an important addition back in the lineup. After the All-Star break, to finish off the month of February, the Golden Knights have challenging games against the Edmonton Oilers, Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Boston Bruins.
Other injury notes:
- After being placed on the injured reserve on January 16th with a lower-body injury, the St.Louis Blues will be expecting forward Kasperi Kapanen back after the All-Star break (X Link). As one of the more prominent depth offensive pieces on the Blues’ roster, Kapanen has struggled a bit over the course of the season, scoring four goals and 13 points in 42 games on the year.
- Sticking in St.Louis, Justin Faulk suffered a lower-body injury in the team’s most recent game against the Calgary Flames and will be kept out until after the All-Star break (X Link). Sitting second on the team in scoring amongst defensemen, Faulk has scored two goals and 19 points in 40 games this season, with only two of those points coming on the team’s powerplay.
- In another activation from the long-term injured reserve, the Tampa Bay Lightning have done just that with defenseman Haydn Fleury, according to CapFriendly. Having been placed on the team’s LTIR since January 1st with an upper-body injury, Fleury has filled a similar role to which he has played in the past this season, averaging just over 15 minutes of ice time in 12 games for the team this year in a depth role.
Transaction Notes: Flames, Golden Knights, Wild, Blackhawks, Lightning
While most teams prepare for an informal roster freeze over the upcoming NHL All-Star break, many are also stripping their roster down to the bare minimum to save as much cap space for the encroaching trade deadline in early March. Today, the Calgary Flames activated forward Martin Pospisil from the injured reserve, while optioning Matthew Coronato, Adam Klapka, and Cole Schwindt to their AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers.
According to Ryan Pike of Flames Nation, this set of transactions by the Flames will save the organization approximately $497K in cap space, just by sending them down over the All-Star break. As one of the expected sellers leading into this year’s trade deadline, the nearly half a million in cap space could allow Calgary to weaponize their cap space, as many deadline sellers have done.
For development’s sake, with the NHL returning to regular season action on February 5th, the trio of players sent down by the Flames today will have the opportunity to play in three games for the Wranglers. Coronato projects to factor in the most, still leading Calgary’s AHL team in points, having already scored 12 goals and 29 points in 27 games for the Wranglers this season.
Other transaction notes:
- Similarly to the Flames, the Vegas Golden Knights have optioned Brendan Brisson, Sheldon Rempal, and Jonas Rondbjerg to their AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights, per a team announcement. Having been recalled on January 18th via an emergency loan, Rempal has largely been the most successful of the bunch over the last several games for the Golden Knights, scoring a goal against both the New York Islanders and New York Rangers over the last four contests.
- In an announcement earlier this afternoon, the Minnesota Wild sent down forward Jake Lucchini and goaltender Jesper Wallstedt to their AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild. Not only one of the best prospects in the Wild organization but one of the best prospects across the league, Wallstedt was able to make his NHL debut in his previous call-up coming in early January, stopping 27 of 34 shots in the team’s loss against the Dallas Stars on January 10th.
- The Chicago Blackhawks have sent down forward Cole Guttman and defenseman Louis Crevier to their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, per a media release this afternoon. Guttman has been the much better player in Rockford this season, playing with the team through much of October and November. Over that stretch, Guttman scored three goals and nine points in 12 games for the IceHogs, tying him for 12th on the team in scoring for the season.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning made similar roster moves today, sending down Maxwell Crozier, Mitchell Chaffee, and Waltteri Merela to their longtime AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. Although neither of the three have made a large impact in their limited NHL experience, Chaffee has been the most successful over the last stretch, earning a goal and an assist in the team’s recent victory against the Arizona Coyotes on January 25th.
Evening Snapshots: Malinski, Kesselring, Kemp
To make a roster spot for their newly signed veteran forward Zach Parise, the Colorado Avalanche announced they have reassigned defenseman Sam Malinski to their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles. This reassignment will mark the fourth time that Malinski has been sent down to the AHL this season.
Called up on emergency loan in each of his four promotions to the Avalanche this season, Malinski has been quite effective in Denver, scoring three goals and 10 points in 22 games, averaging just over 14 minutes of ice time per night. In similar numbers to the NHL, Malinski has played in 20 games an hour north in Fort Collins for the Eagles, scoring three goals and nine points altogether.
Unlikely to be his last time playing for the Avalanche this season, Malinski has been one of the few bright prospects to rise through the ranks of the organization over the last several years. Still, Malinski was only acquired last season as an undrafted free agent coming out of Cornell University, and is a touch old compared to most prospects, already being 25 years old.
Other snapshots:
- A little past the halfway point in the third period in the team’s most recent game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Arizona Coyotes defenseman Michael Kesselring was given a double-minor for a cross-check on Maxwell Crozier, as well as a game misconduct. Today, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety delivered some supplemental discipline to Kesselring for the play in questioning, fining him a total of $2,408.85, the maximum allowable find under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement.
- Recalled only yesterday before the team’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks, the Edmonton Oilers announced they have reassigned defenseman Philip Kemp to their AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors. Although not suiting up in last night’s game against the Blackhawks, Kemp was recalled for a lengthier callup only a few days ago, spending time on the Oilers from January 9th to January 23rd. Luckily, Kemp was able to make his NHL debut on January 13th against the Montreal Canadiens but was only able to play in about two minutes of that contest.
Metro Notes: Kochetkov, Smith, Ludvig, Haula
Playing in their final game before the All-Star break tomorrow night, the Carolina Hurricanes will see the return of their primary starting goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov. Team reporter for the Hurricanes, Walt Ruff, announces that the team has activated Kochetkov from the injured reserve, and he will be an option for them tomorrow night against the Arizona Coyotes.
Kochetkov had originally been out since January 12th with a concussion, missing the last six games for Carolina. Now down to a tandem of Antti Raanta and recently claimed Spencer Martin, the team produced a 4-2-0 record in Kochetkov’s absence, averaging three goals against per game.
It has been the tale of two seasons for Kochetkov up to this point, who originally started off the 2023-24 campaign with a 4-5-1 record coupled with a .871 save percentage. Since the team’s blowout loss to the Edmonton Oilers on December 6th, however, Kochetkov has turned into a completely different goaltender, managing a 7-2-2 record in his next 12 games, including an impressive .921 save percentage in the process.
Other Metro notes:
- Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reported today that defenseman John Ludvig and forward Reilly Smith had returned to regular practice for the Pittsburgh Penguins today, switching out of their previously worn non-contact jerseys. Although neither player suited up in the team’s game tonight against the Florida Panthers, both are effective pieces to get back into the active roster, as Smith has been out for a little over two weeks, and Ludvig has been out for nearly a month.
- Preparing for their game tomorrow night against the Tampa Bay Lightning, team reporter for the New Jersey Devils, Amanda Stein mentions that forward Erik Haula did not practice with the club today due to personal reasons. As it is unclear if Haula will suit up tomorrow night against the Lightning or not, with the Devils already having lost plenty of man games to injuries to some of their top stars throughout most of the year, Haula being unable to play would put some more strain on the offensive depth of the organization.
Colorado Avalanche Sign Zach Parise
Shortly before their game tonight against the Los Angeles Kings, the Colorado Avalanche announced they have signed veteran forward Zach Parise to a one-year contract. Frank Seravalli of the DailyFaceoff reports that the one-year contract will be worth a pro-rated $825K for the rest of the season.
Even after seeing the return of Artturi Lehkonen back into the lineup, the Avalanche are still without some of their high-level forward depth since Valeri Nichushkin left for the NHLPA Player Assistance Program. In Parise, Colorado will likely not be able to replace the production left by Nichushkin with the 39-year-old fully. Still, it should create a formidable top-nine forward unit upon his return to the organization.
Historically, the story of Parise is known well, being one of the better players in the league for the New Jersey Devils in the late-2000s and early-2010s. Scoring 410 points in 502 games for New Jersey, as well as leading them to the Stanley Cup Final in 2012, Parise famously joined the Minnesota Wild as an unrestricted free agent before the 2012-13 season, signing an identical 13-year, $98MM contract as defenseman Ryan Suter.
Much to the dismay of both player and team, some injury-riddled seasons, as well as a dire need for cap space, led the Wild General Manager, Bill Guerin, to buy out the contracts of both Parise and Suter after year nine of the 13-year agreements. It wouldn’t take long for Parise to find a new home, however, Lou Lamoriello would quickly ink him to a one-year contract with the New York Islanders, being the executive that originally drafted Parise into the NHL.
Returning to much better health with the Islanders, over two separate one-year contracts with the organization, Parise would play in all 82 games in both the 2021-22 and 2022-23 NHL seasons. Over the course of those two contracts, Parise became a quality auxiliary scorer for New York, putting up 36 goals and 69 points over 164 games, with 21 of those goals coming last season alone.
Having not played in an NHL game since late April of 2023, it will undoubtedly take some time for Parise to make his return to any NHL contest, especially with the speed at which Colorado plays the game. Nevertheless, as an effective scorer and veteran presence on a recent Stanley Cup Champion team, the marriage between Parise and the Avalanche should prove valuable to both sides.