Washington Capitals Acquire Johan Larsson
The Washington Capitals have added even more depth up front, acquiring Johan Larsson from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for a 2023 third-round pick. The Coyotes will also be retaining 50 percent of Larsson’s remaining contract.
Larsson, 29, hasn’t played since January 25 for the Coyotes but isn’t expected to be out the entire season. He underwent surgery on a sports hernia in early February and was given an eight-week timeline, meaning he’ll be an option for the Capitals at some point.
That injury history does make the third-round pick seem like a bit of a risk, but Larsson was playing well before he went down. With 15 points in 29 games he was going to blow past his previous career-high of 18, and he is still a strong defensive contributor. In Washington, he likely won’t be asked to play in very many offensive situations but does give the team some added depth down the middle.
At a $1.4MM cap hit he comes at a relatively inexpensive contract, and since it expires at the end of the season it won’t affect the Capitals moving forward. This is a go-for-it type trade, with Washington knowing they needed some added depth up front if they want to compete in the Eastern Conference playoffs–or even just the Metropolitan race.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet first reported the trade.
Los Angeles Kings Extend Blake Lizotte
As the league continues its trade deadline frenzy, the Los Angeles Kings have decided to complete a little contract work. Blake Lizotte has signed a two-year contract extension with the Kings, one that will carry an average annual value of $1.675MM. Lizotte was a pending restricted free agent but is now under contract through 2023-24.
After once again proving that he can handle his own as a depth center, the undersized Lizotte is rewarded with a nice raise. Undrafted, the former USHL star exploded onto NHL radars while at St. Cloud State and immediately stepped into the highest level after signing with the Kings in 2019. He has played 58 games for the Kings this season, adding eight goals and 17 points while being a strong contributor on the penalty kill.
While he isn’t pummelled with defensive zone faceoffs like some depth centers–because of the presence of both Anze Kopitar and Phillip Danault–Lizotte still isn’t gifted easy minutes for the Kings and yet continues to find success in terms of possession statistics. That has made him a worthwhile extension candidate, especially as the team continues to improve.
A deal like this doesn’t offer a ton of upside, but it’s a nice reward for a hard-working player that was earning just $800K this season. Lizotte will still be a restricted free agent when it expires.
St. Louis Blues To Acquire Nick Leddy
The St. Louis Blues have made their defensive addition, acquiring Nick Leddy from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for Oskar Sundqvist and Jake Walman and a second-round pick in 2023. The Blues will also receive Luke Witkowski in the deal, giving them some more depth (at multiple positions, even). Lou Korac of NHL.com reports that the Red Wings will be retaining 50 percent of Leddy’s remaining contract.
Leddy, who turned 31 yesterday, is still one of the strongest skating defensemen in the league and can fit into a Blues team that has their eyes set on another Stanley Cup. After a career spent entirely in Chicago and New York, Leddy came to Detroit in an offseason trade that cost just Richard Panik–a contract the team didn’t want anyway–and a second-round pick.
After a few months with the Red Wings, he’ll bring back even more than that, as both Sundqvist and Walman project as potential NHL options for Detroit. There’s even potential for him to return to them anyway as a free agent, as Leddy is currently scheduled to hit the open market this summer. Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic tweets that there have not yet been any extension discussions between the Blues and Leddy, meaning this could just be a pure rental for the last part of the season.
Getting back players that can contribute right away is key for a Red Wings team that hopes to contend for a playoff spot next season. In Sundqvist, they’re getting a 27-year-old forward that carries a cap hit of $2.75MM through the 2022-23 season. While he still hasn’t turned into much of an offensive player, the 6’3″ forward is a physical force that can fit into a few different spots in the bottom of the lineup. In Detroit, the team can perhaps even squeeze more offense out of him, as the Blues did when he scored 14 goals and 31 points in 2018-19.
Walman too could get a much bigger chance in Detroit, who have now moved out a pair of defensemen following Troy Stecher‘s deal yesterday. The 26-year-old has played just 57 games in his NHL career to this point and will be a Group VI unrestricted free agent this summer if he fails to play in enough games down the stretch. He’ll likely enter the lineup on a regular basis to avoid that, at which point he’ll be an arbitration-eligible RFA in the offseason.
This has turned into a clear strategy for Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman, acquiring underutilized players for expiring assets. In fact, he might even end up flipping Sundqvist or Walman at some point as the team continues to build for the future.
But even though those players are tough to lose, the Blues are getting their big addition on defense ahead of a Stanley Cup push. Leddy can slot into the lineup and help take some of the pressure off of players like Marco Scandella who has struggled to maintain his previous level. The fact that he has over 120 games of playoff experience and won a Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2013 only adds to his appeal.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Boston Bruins Acquire Josh Brown
Last April the Boston Bruins acquired a depth defenseman from the Ottawa Senators for a mid-round pick, and it turned out to be a pretty good move. Mike Reilly ended up signing a three-year contract extension and now is a regular on the Bruins blueline. They’ll try it again, this time acquiring Josh Brown and a conditional 2022 seventh-round draft pick from the Senators in exchange for Zach Senyshyn and a 2022 fifth-round pick. If Senyshyn plays five NHL games before the end of the 2021-22 season, the Bruins will receive a 2022 sixth-round pick instead.
Brown, 28, brings a much different package to the ice than Reilly. This time it’s a 6’5″ 220-lbs defenseman that is an absolute bulldozer on the ice, hitting anything that moves whenever he gets the chance. What kind of role he’ll play on Boston isn’t clear, though it will be certainly bigger than what Senyshyn has done to this point.
One of the infamous three consecutive first-round picks from 2015, the 24-year-old has played just 14 games to this point in his career. That’s fewer than every other player drafted in that round, something that certainly doesn’t bode well for his future even in a new organization. He’ll turn 25 later this month and likely get a chance to show what he can do with the Senators, but he might not be there very long.
Senyshyn is one of the players who will qualify for Group VI unrestricted free agency this summer, meaning the Senators would need to reach a contract with him in the next few months, or else he’d go to the open market.
New York Rangers Acquire Justin Braun
The New York Rangers have made an interesting defensive addition, acquiring Justin Braun from the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers will receive a 2023 third-round pick in exchange for the defenseman.
Braun, 35, is a pending unrestricted free agent like many of the other players moved today, but represents a nice fit for the Rangers who have decided to push at least a few chips to the middle during their surprising run in the Metropolitan Division. While the team is still on the way up, Igor Shesterkin and company have done enough in the first part of the season to deserve a bit of deadline help.
That help comes in the form of the 6’2″ Braun, who has a history of playing with more mobile, offensive partners. This year that’s been almost entirely with Ivan Provorov, who has also heard his name bandied about in trade rumors recently. Braun now goes to a team with several of those puck-movers, and could potentially help support a younger player like K’Andre Miller as the team takes the next step in their competitive window.
For the Flyers, selling Braun was almost a certainty after they decided to move out pending free agents. While a second-round pick surely was the target, they’ll have to settle for a third when it comes down to it. The fact that it’s in 2023 is interesting though as that draft has been targeted heavily in trade talks and the Flyers don’t seem committed to a true rebuild. They could potentially flip that pick at some point down the line for more immediate help.
The Rangers still have plenty of picks to deal from if they want to add more at the deadline, including two second-round picks this year. They also have plenty of cap space, meaning more moves could be coming in the next few hours.
Jeff Marek of Sportsnet was first to break the trade on Twitter.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Nashville Predators Acquire Alex Biega
The Nashville Predators are adding a bit of defensive depth, as Darren Dreger of TSN reports that they have acquired Alex Biega from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Kevin Weekes of ESPN adds that the deal is for future considerations.
Biega, 33, has spent almost the entire season in the minor leagues, playing 31 games for the Toronto Marlies and just two for the Maple Leafs. A right-handed option with nearly 250 games of NHL experience, he shouldn’t be expected to hold a regular role in Nashville but does provide the kind of depth that many teams need during a playoff push.
Signed to a one-year, two-way contract with a cap hit of just $750K, the key here is that Biega has already cleared waivers and can be stashed in the minor leagues until needed.
For Toronto, the key is clearing out a contract slot ahead of today’s deadline. Before the deal they had already used 49 of 50 slots, meaning they would have been restricted if they wanted to make any more trades. Even with Rasmus Sandin dealing with an injury and Jake Muzzin still working his way back from a concussion, the Maple Leafs were very unlikely to use Biega at any point, making him completely expendable.
Wild Acquire Marc-Andre Fleury; Trade Kaapo Kahkonen To Sharks
The reigning Vezina Trophy winner has been traded again. The Chicago Blackhawks have traded Marc-Andre Fleury to the Minnesota Wild, in exchange for a conditional second-round draft pick in 2022. If Minnesota advances to the Western Conference Final and Fleury wins a minimum of four games in the first two rounds combined, the pick will upgrade to a 2022 first-round pick. Chicago is also retaining 50 percent of Fleury’s contract.
Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson released the following statement:
This trade immediately puts us in a better position at the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, giving us a pick that will land early in the draft. We are in a better position today at the upcoming draft than we were yesterday. In a short time with the Blackhawks, Marc-Andre made quite an impression on our fanbase and in our locker room. We appreciate his willingness to work with us on finding a deal that worked for everyone.
In a related move, the Wild have traded Kaapo Kahkonen and a 2022 fifth-round pick to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Jacob Middleton.
As recently as last night, the talks between Minnesota and Chicago appeared to have broken down, as the veteran netminder took the crease for the Blackhawks against the Winnipeg Jets. Fleury ended up losing that game, allowing five goals on 31 shots. That performance notwithstanding, he’ll offer a huge experience upgrade over Kahkonen as the Wild continue their pursuit of the Stanley Cup.
Fleury, 37, won the Vezina with the Vegas Golden Knights last season in the most impressive year of his career, but ended up shipped out to the Blackhawks in a shocking offseason move. From the moment it happened, Fleury’s days in Chicago seemed numbered, given his expiring contract and the lack of competitiveness from the Blackhawks after games started. The question was always would he even want to be traded somewhere else, as he ended up with a handshake no-movement clause after arriving in Chicago.
Minnesota now has a netminder with over 900 regular season games of NHL experience, plus three Stanley Cup rings on his shelf. Still, that certainly doesn’t mean he’s ready to take the Wild all the way. In both of the last two championships he won in Pittsburgh, Matt Murray took over the net at some point in the playoffs, and a similar change happened in Vegas when they brought in Robin Lehner. Over 162 career playoff games, Fleury has just a .912 save percentage, not exactly what most teams need to go all the way.
Among executives in the league who know what Fleury can bring though, Wild GM Bill Guerin certainly ranks pretty high. Their time in Pittsburgh together was quite successful, and now they’ll try to do it one more time before Fleury’s career wraps up in the coming years (or months).
He’ll still have another goaltender to lean on with Cam Talbot, but the fact that Minnesota felt Kahkonen was expendable certainly shows how all-in Guerin is this season. The Wild have huge cap penalties coming next season due to the Ryan Suter and Zach Parise buyouts, meaning this year may be their best chance to contend. Giving up a conditional first-round pick may be a pricey decision for a rental goaltender, but it’s hard to argue against the resume that they’ve brought in.
In dealing Kahkonen to San Jose, the Wild have also shored up the defensive side of the puck by adding a big, mean, physical player in Middleton. The 6’3″, 220-lbs defenseman has finally broken through and become a regular in the NHL this season, averaging more than 18 minutes a night. With the additional acquisition of Nicolas Deslauriers, the Wild have added plenty of size to the lineup to go on a deep postseason run.
For San Jose, adding Kahkonen gives them a potential future starter, though things haven’t gone perfectly so far in his young career. The 25-year-old has a .910 save percentage this season in 25 games. Importantly, he’s also a pending restricted free agent, one that the Wild would have had to give a hefty raise despite still paying Talbot next season. For the Sharks, they now have two younger goaltenders–along with the injured Adin Hill–who could both provide some great value moving forward.
Sharks acting general manager Joe Will released a statement on Kahkonen:
Kaapo is a quick, athletic goaltender who has shown the ability to win consistently at every level he has played. He provides our club additional depth at the goaltending position this season and in the coming years.
Questions will now be asked about James Reimer though, who currently sits as the starter for the Sharks and is signed through next season. There isn’t really room for all three, meaning at some point–either today or in the summer–there could be a market for San Jose to move Reimer out.
Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff was first to provide the full details of the Fleury trade, while Michael Russo of The Athletic broke the Kahkonen trade a few minutes after Fleury was acquired.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
PHR Live Chat Transcript: 2022 Trade Deadline Special
Click here to read the transcript of a special trade deadline live chat with PHR’s Gavin Lee.
Toronto Maple Leafs Acquire Mark Giordano, Colin Blackwell
4:20pm CT: The return for Giordano and Blackwell has been revealed. ESPN’s Kevin Weekes was first to report that the Maple Leafs are sending two second-round picks and a third-round pick to the Kraken for the duo. Seattle is also retaining 50% of Giordano’s $6.75MM cap hit. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun clarified that it is a 2022 second-rounder, 2023 second-rounder, and 2024 third-rounder, all Toronto’s own. Both teams have now confirmed the deal.
Given the market set by the Josh Manson, Ben Chiarot, and Hampus Lindholm trades, the relative affordability of this deal is impressive work by Toronto GM Kyle Dubas. Giordano and Blackwell may not be more than rentals for the Leafs, but fill important gaps in the lineup for a team desperate for a deep postseason run. Meanwhile, neither player was likely to re-sign with the Kraken, who now possess seven second-round picks and five third-round picks over the next three drafts.
3:39pm CT: Giordano will not be making the trek to Toronto alone. ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reports that forward Colin Blackwell is also headed to the Maple Leafs in the deal. The return is still unclear as Toronto works through the salary cap implications, but they will be adding a valuable two-way depth forward in Blackwell, checking off another box on their deadline wish list. Blackwell has 17 points in 39 games for Seattle this season, making the most of his time since returning from injury while still flying under the radar as an underrated acquisition for Toronto.
2:05pm CT: After clearing out some additional cap space (or at least starting the process) by waiving Petr Mrazek, the Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired one of the top rental options on the market. Mark Giordano is heading home, acquired by the Maple Leafs from the Seattle Kraken according to several reports including Ryan Leslie of Sportsnet. It is not yet clear what the Kraken will be receiving in return, though Darren Dreger of TSN tweets that multiple draft picks will be involved.
Giordano, 38, may not be the player who recorded 74 points and won the Norris Trophy in 2019, but he’s still a strong play-driving defenseman that can give the Maple Leafs a much-needed boost down the stretch. The fact that his partner during that Norris season was none other than T.J. Brodie only makes the deal that much better of a fit, even if he’s not the right-handed option that Toronto has been looking for for so long.
With Jake Muzzin out with his second concussion of the year and facing an uncertain recovery timeline, adding in a player like Giordano was an obvious move for the Maple Leafs. Still, given the high price of rentals this season and the tight cap situation that Toronto always finds itself in, acquiring a name this big was not always a guarantee.
Pittsburgh Penguins Extend Mark Friedman
The Pittsburgh Penguins have completed some contract work that has nothing to do with the impending trade deadline, signing Mark Friedman to a two-year extension. The deal, which keeps him in Pittsburgh through the 2023-24 season, is a one-way contract that carries an average annual value of $775K. Penguins’ general manager Ron Hextall released the following statement:
Friedman is an impactful defenseman who has strong offensive instincts and plays with an edge. He’s added depth to our defense corps and we are excited to see his continued development over the next two years.
Claimed off waivers last season Friedman has been a nice find for the Penguins, playing regular–if limited–minutes down the lineup. In 20 games this season the 26-year-old defenseman has one goal and five points while racking up 17 penalty minutes. Though he certainly isn’t an imposing figure, standing just 5’11”, Friedman is actually quite physical and willing to drop his gloves on occasion. While that doesn’t make him an incredibly important piece, he does seem to fall into the category of player that Penguins’ executive Brian Burke has always coveted.
For such a small cap hit, Friedman can continue in his role as a sixth or seventh defenseman for the Penguins but his time in the minor leagues is likely over for the next while. He would have to clear waivers in order to be assigned there, and Pittsburgh isn’t generally one of the teams that like to pay one-way contracts to players in the AHL (though, they have done so recently).
There’s no comparison between a player like Friedman and Kris Letang, though the latter’s situation will always be discussed when the Penguins are completing something with a defenseman. Letang is a pending unrestricted free agent and could, if he chooses to go elsewhere, leave a giant hole on the right side. While Friedman won’t be logging 25 minutes a night and leading a powerplay, getting him locked up now at least secures some depth at the position.