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Montreal Canadiens To Acquire Erik Gustafsson

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The Montreal Canadiens lost Victor Mete on waivers today, but they’re bringing in some more defensive depth. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the Canadiens have acquired Erik Gustafsson from the Philadelphia Flyers. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports that the Canadiens will send a 2022 seventh-round pick, while the Flyers are retaining 50% of Gustafsson’s remaining cap hit.

It might seem amazing that a defenseman who scored 17 goals and 60 points in the 2018-19 season could be grabbed for a seventh-round pick, but that’s just how poorly Gustafsson’s defense is regarded around the league. There’s no doubt he can be an offensive catalyst, but he has played his way out of the lineup for three different teams now with his inconsistent ability in his own end.

Luckily, the Canadiens won’t be asking Gustafsson to be playing heavy minutes given how the depth chart looks right now. Instead, he’ll come in along with the recently acquired Jon Merrill to give the bottom-pair rotation a different look or fill in for any injuries.

Florida Panthers Expected To Acquire Sam Bennett

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The Calgary Flames have begun to move out some of the disappointing core, working on a trade that will send Sam Bennett to the Florida Panthers according to several reports including Chris Johnston of Sportsnet. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the Flames will receive a 2022 second-round pick and prospect Emil Heineman.

Bennett, 24, was the fourth overall pick in 2014, the same draft the Panthers took Aaron Ekblad first. The grinding forward just hasn’t been able to turn himself into any sort of an offensive player, scoring just 140 points in 402 career games. This year he has four goals and 12 points in 38 games, just not anywhere near effective enough to stick around in Calgary’s long-term plans.

The interesting thing with Bennett is that almost every time the Flames have taken the ice in the postseason, he has been one of the most effective players in the game. In 30 career playoff games he has 11 goals and 19 points while racking up a whopping 107 hits, and 71 shots on goal. If Bennett could find a way to bring that level of play to every night of the regular season, he could be a huge presence in the Florida lineup.

At this point though, it’s surprising that the Flames landed even a second-round pick for Bennett, let alone a prospect as well. Heineman isn’t one to overlook either; he was selected 43rd overall in 2020 and is coming off an impressive season in the SHL as a teenager. Heineman hasn’t signed his entry-level contract yet, but he’s a nice prospect to add to the cupboard for Calgary.

Florida is obviously betting that they can turn Bennett’s career around, but they also have to deal with a contract negotiation this summer. The 24-year-old will be an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent at the end of the year and will need a $2.55MM qualifying offer from the team.

It’s that playoff production that the Panthers are likely betting on, as Florida has their sights set on really contending for the Stanley Cup this season. Even if Bennett can just give them a boost in this year’s postseason he would be a worthy rental, if an expensive one.

Scott Laughton Signs Extension In Philadelphia

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One name that has been thrown around in recent weeks is Scott Laughton, a physical forward for the Philadelphia Flyers who was getting closer to free agency. As it turns out, free agency will have to wait. Laughton has signed a five-year extension with the Flyers which will carry an average annual value of $3MM.

Laughton, 26, hasn’t ever been a huge offensive producer, but there’s a lot of other positives in his game. Able to capably play the center position and line up against the other team’s best, he brings size, speed and physicality to the ice every night. In 38 games this season he has seven goals and 17 points, while recording 99 hits and averaging more than 15 minutes a night.

There was some speculation that Laughton might even bring a first-round pick back to Philadelphia if he were traded today, as the interest was high from around the league. Whether a pick that high was ever actually offered isn’t at all clear, but it won’t matter anyway as Laughton is staying in Philadelphia for another huge chunk of his career.

At just $3MM, he can fit into the bottom-six without impacting the salary cap negatively for Philadelphia and continue to anchor the team’s penalty kill. Getting fie years is a huge win for Laughton, who will now be under contract through his age-31 season.

Colorado Avalanche Acquire Carl Soderberg

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The Colorado Avalanche are bringing back a familiar face, acquiring Carl Soderberg from the Chicago Blackhawks. The Avalanche will send Josh Dickinson and the draft rights to Ryder Rolston in return.

“Soda” as he’s affectionately known in Colorado, spent four seasons with the Avalanche earlier in his career. That included two great years and two disappointing ones but ended with a career-high 23 goals in 2018-19. The 35-year-old center has just seven goals and 15 points in 34 games with the Blackhawks this season and is on a one-year contract.

That deal carries just a $1MM cap hit, certainly reasonable for a depth forward like Soderberg that can still contribute in a limited role. He’ll get a chance to change his postseason reputation this season; Soderberg has just two goals and 12 points in 41 career playoff matches.

Instead of acquiring draft picks in return, the Blackhawks get a couple of names that are lottery tickets at best. Dickinson went undrafted out of the OJHL and has split time between the AHL and ECHL this season. His entry-level contract expires at the end of this season and he likely won’t receive a qualifying offer.

Rolston though is interesting, if perhaps underwhelming. The 2020 fifth-round pick had six points in 28 games as a freshman for Notre Dame, but does have NHL bloodlines–his dad Brian Rolston played more than 1,200 games in the league–and some upside. Who knows at this point if he ever reaches that level with the Blackhawks, but it was clear that Soderberg’s time in Chicago was coming to an end.

New York Rangers To Sign Zac Jones

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The New York Rangers haven’t made a trade yet, but they’re going to add a player nonetheless. Frank Seravalli of TSN reports that the Rangers are close to signing Zac Jones after his college career came to an end with a national title. Jones will burn the first season of the three-year entry-level contract in 2020-21 and will be eligible to play for the Rangers after going through the required quarantine protocols.

Jones put up 24 points in 29 games for UMass-Amherst this season, his sophomore year in college after being the 68th overall pick in 2019. The somewhat undersized defenseman is a dynamic playmaker and could very well be in the Rangers lineup before the end of the season.

It is somewhat surprising that Jones is signing after just two years at UMass, but it’s another addition to what has become an impressive young group in New York. With Brendan Smith scheduled for unrestricted free agency and Libor Hajek not quite establishing himself as a building block, there will be room for the left-handed Jones before long.

It may be asking a lot for him to grab that spot right away, but getting into the system and joining the team for practice is the only way anyone will know for sure whether he is ready for the next level.

Vegas, Chicago Working On Mattias Janmark Trade

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After acquiring Adam Gaudette, the Chicago Blackhawks are working to send one of their other forwards elsewhere. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets that “all signs point” to Mattias Janmark ending up with the Vegas Golden Knights. Darren Dreger of TSN reports that Janmark will go to Vegas with a 2022 fifth-round pick in exchange for the Golden Knights 2021 second-round pick and 2022 third-round pick. LeBrun adds that the San Jose Sharks will add a 2022 fifth-round pick (BUF), for brokering the deal with salary cap retention–they will send a minor league player to Vegas to even out the actual salary payments.

Adding a player like Janmark is a sneaky pickup for the Golden Knights, who already have a team capable of contending for the Stanley Cup. The 28-year-old forward has 10 goals and 19 points in 41 games this season and has proven in the past he can produce some valuable secondary scoring from a depth role.

A strong skater, Janmark can play on the powerplay or penalty kill, but it’s hard to see him getting much time with the man advantage in Vegas. Instead, he’ll give the team another moving part in their bottom-six or even move up in a pinch.

Still, one could argue that the Golden Knights gave up more for Janmark than the Bruins did for Taylor Hall. A huge part of that (not to mention Hall’s no-movement clause) is the difference in cap hits; Janmark comes with just a $2.25MM full-season hit on his one-year deal, while even a 50% retained Hall was at $4MM. The Blackhawks did well to receive a second-round pick and another pick swap, adding some valuable draft capital to the cupboard for a player who is on an expiring contract.

More to come…

Tampa Bay Lightning Acquire Fredrik Claesson

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have added some more depth to the blue line, acquiring Fredrik Claesson from the San Jose Sharks. The Lightning will send the rights to goaltending prospect Magnus Chrona back the other way. GM Julien BriseBois released a short statement on the deal:

Bringing in Fredrik allows us to have five left shot defensemen and six right shot defensemen with NHL experience on our reserve list. History has proven that you will need depth on defense if you are going to have an extended playoff run.

Claesson, 28, has played just nine NHL games since the beginning of the 2019-20 season, but likely won’t be asked to play much more than that for the Lightning unless they suffer some catastrophic injuries. The Lightning already added David Savard to solidify their top-four, and now have brought in a little more depth at the position as well.

He carries just a $700K contract and can report directly to the Tampa Bay taxi squad, meaning he does not affect the cap hit at all.

Chrona, 20, just finished his sophomore season at the University of Denver, where he put up a .907 save percentage in 18 appearances. Selected in the fifth round of the 2018 draft, the Swedish netminder would need to be signed to enter the Sharks development system.

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic was first to report a deal was coming.

Chicago Blackhawks Acquire Adam Gaudette

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The Chicago Blackhawks have acquired Adam Gaudette from the Vancouver Canucks sending Matthew Highmore the other way. Of note, Gaudette is now out of the COVID Protocol and can travel to Chicago to join the Blackhawks.

It’s a swap of depth forwards, but the Blackhawks have certainly added the one with the higher offensive ceiling. Gaudette, a former Hobey Baker Award winner, had 33 points in 59 games last season with the Canucks and has a history of scoring at every level. His numbers dropped this year–just seven points in 33 games–but there’s always a chance that Gaudette finds his game in Chicago.

Highmore meanwhile comes to Vancouver as a fourth-line option, but importantly he is signed for next season at just $725K. Gaudette is in need of a new contract as a restricted free agent and will be eligible for arbitration, a process that the Canucks may not really be able to afford. With Highmore’s deal, the 25-year-old forward provides depth for little more than the NHL minimum.

Still, even at that bargain-basement price, it’s hard to see how Highmore can really become an impact player for Vancouver. He has just four goals and 10 points through his 73-game NHL career and has rarely shown the ability to create chances for himself or his linemates. An undrafted forward out of the QMJHL, he’s done well to even make it to this level.

Dallas Stars Claim Sami Vatanen

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While speculation continues to swirl around some of the Dallas Stars defenders, they’ve added a new one. The Stars have claimed Sami Vatanen off waivers from the New Jersey Devils according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic.

The claim of Vatanen certainly won’t quiet any talk of a Jamie Oleksiak trade, given the Stars now have eight defensemen on the NHL roster. That includes Andrej Sekera however, who suffered an injury last night and could be out for some time depending on testing today.

Dallas is now on the hook for the remainder of Vatanen’s $2MM salary through the end of the season. Whether he can provide much value for that salary isn’t clear after a poor start to the year in New Jersey. Once a reliable two-way option, Vatanen had just six points in 30 games for the Devils and was playing the fewest minutes of his career.

Remember that even though the Stars could be moving some rentals, the Stars aren’t completely out of the playoff race and can use a player like Vatanen to strengthen their back end.

Edmonton Oilers Acquire Dmitry Kulikov

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The Edmonton Oilers have added some defensive depth at the deadline, acquiring Dmitry Kulikov from the New Jersey Devils. The Oilers will send a conditional 2022 fourth-round pick that will become a third if Edmonton wins a playoff round.

Kulikov, 30, has been arguably the Devils’ best defenseman in his own end this season and has played more than 700 games in his NHL career. He will no longer offer much offense—he has just two points in 38 games—but is a nice addition to an Oilers team that needs to keep the puck out of their end and in the hands of their talented forwards.

The veteran can play the penalty kill and add some physicality, likely skating beside Adam Larsson in something of a shutdown pair. Kulikov is on a one-year deal with a salary of $1.15MM, adding affordability to effectiveness. He will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

For the Devils, it’s all about collecting assets at this point after a disappointing season. The team has some nice pieces coming, but the overall depth of the organization just hasn’t been good enough. A mid-round pick by itself isn’t going to change that, but it’s another small step towards building the full system out.

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