Anaheim Ducks To Hold Out Hampus Lindholm As Deadline Approaches
The Anaheim Ducks have reached the point of no return with Hampus Lindholm. After general manager tried for weeks to get an extension done with the pending free agent defenseman, Lindholm is now expected to be traded by Monday’s deadline. A trade is likely enough to warrant holding him out of the lineup entirely, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, who tweets that Lindholm won’t play tonight.
In terms of where he might be headed, Darren Dreger of TSN reports that a few teams “continue to digest” the asking price, which currently is a first-round pick, and third-round pick, and a top prospect. While that may seem like a big ask for a rental player, just a few days ago Ben Chiarot landed a similar package for the Montreal Canadiens. Lindholm is much more well-rounded than the former Canadiens defenseman, though he doesn’t have the recent successful postseason run that Chiarot is lauded for.
LeBrun suggests that the Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues would make sense for Lindholm, though the defenseman has been speculatively linked to nearly every contender in the league at some point.
There is an injury history that the Ducks have to consider when protecting him over the next few days. Lindholm played just 18 games last season after suffering various injuries including a broken wrist. Throughout his career, he’s been able to play 80 games in a single season just once, and that was in 2015-16. Logging nearly 23 minutes a night opens him up to plenty of risk, especially given how many shots he blocks. If his time with the Ducks is over, the 28-year-old leaves with 581 games played, fourth all-time for the franchise among defensemen.
With Lindholm taken out and Josh Manson traded, the Ducks will have a new look going forward on the blueline. Veteran Cam Fowler and young Jamie Drysdale lead the group, though suddenly plenty of playing time is up for grabs. Kevin Shattenkirk, the only other established veteran in the group, is signed for one more season at a $3.9MM cap hit.
Latest On Claude Giroux
All signs point to Claude Giroux leaving the Philadelphia Flyers now that he has played in his 1,000th game, though there is still at least a bit of intrigue in regards to where he is going. Anthony SanFilippo of Crossing Broad reported last night that Giroux would not be accompanying the Flyers on their trip to Ottawa, something that Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet confirmed this morning.
The sharp money is on the Florida Panthers right now in terms of who will acquire Giroux before Monday’s deadline, though Friedman writes that the Colorado Avalanche have “not given up” as of this morning. Emily Kaplan of ESPN writes that there could be another team involved, though she too expects it to be Florida when the dust settles.
Florida of course already acquired Ben Chiarot, moved out Frank Vatrano, and have held Owen Tippett out of the AHL lineup in advance of the deadline as they attempt to go all-in this season. The Panthers are among the league’s best teams, even if they did get beaten by the struggling Vegas Golden Knights last night. Overall, Florida has a 41-14-6 record and is still in first place in the Atlantic Division.
If it is the end of Giroux’s time in Philadelphia–Friedman tweets that the captain will be held out of the lineup through the weekend even if a trade isn’t completed today–he finishes with exactly 1,000 games and 900 points with the franchise. This season has been another strong one with 18 goals and 42 points in 57 games, even if the overall results for the Flyers haven’t been what was expected. The 34-year-old is an unrestricted free agent in the summer and has yet to raise the Stanley Cup.
Ottawa Senators Sign Philippe Daoust
6:43 pm: Daoust’s three-year entry-level contract carries a $821,667 cap hit, per CapFriendly. Each year, he’ll see a $55,000 signing bonus, with a $750,000 base salary in 2022-23 and a $775,000 base salary in 2023-24 and 2024-25.
1:08 pm: The Ottawa Senators have signed prospect Philippe Daoust to a three-year entry-level contract that will start in 2022-23. The QMJHL forward currently plays with the Saint John Sea Dogs, where he will remain for the rest of this season. Senators general manager Pierre Dorion released a statement:
We’ve been very pleased with Philippe’s progress. He’s a highly skilled forward who displays good offensive instincts and creativity. With Saint John serving as Memorial Cup host this spring, we expect him to play an important role throughout the Sea Dogs’ post-season.
Daoust, 20, actually started this year with the Belleville Senators, playing 15 games at the AHL level before a trade brought his junior rights from the Moncton Wildcats to the Memorial Cup host Sea Dogs. In the 17 games he’s played since returning, Daoust has 11 goals and 22 points.
It’s an extremely uncommon path for a sixth-round pick, especially one that went completely undrafted in his first year of eligibility. But Daoust is an uncommon prospect, with even his junior career taking winding a very unusual road. From Barrie, Ontario, the young forward was completely passed over in the OHL draft and ended up playing in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League for 2018-19. That earned some interest, which took him away from the OHL and into the QMJHL, where he signed with Moncton.
As fate would have it, that decision would end up being a very good one for Daoust, who instead of missing an entire development season like the other OHL prospects in 2020-21, was able to play in 21 games with Moncton and show his game had reached an entirely different level. Overlooked for years, Daoust now has an NHL contract in hand and a future in the Senators organization.
Mathieu Perreault, Tyler Benson Placed Clear Waivers
March 17: Both players have cleared waivers; Benson has already been loaned to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors.
March 16: The Montreal Canadiens have placed Mathieu Perreault on waivers, as several players currently on injured reserve get closer to returning. He won’t be alone though, as the Edmonton Oilers have also waived Tyler Benson.
Perreault, 34, actually cleared waivers last season as well, though at that point it was more about his expensive cap hit than anything else. This time the veteran forward is signed for just $950K but has found himself out of the lineup for most of the year, due to injury or inconsistent on-ice play. In 18 games he has just three goals and five points, though that does include an assist in last night’s match against the Arizona Coyotes.
While he may intrigue some teams because of the 700 games of NHL experience, Perreault is long past the point of being a top-six contributor and would likely only fit as a depth piece on a contending squad. Even in Montreal he hasn’t been a regular and is averaging fewer than 12 minutes when he does get into the lineup.
Benson meanwhile is sort of on the other end of his career, unable to break into the league in the first place. The 24-year-old has been outstanding in the minors for several years, was the 32nd overall pick in 2016, and yet can’t seem to make an impact at the NHL level. In 29 games this season he has just two points, and is likely headed back to the AHL to make room for Jesse Puljujarvi should he clear tomorrow.
While Benson does have youth on his side, it’s very unclear at this point whether another team wants to give him a chance through the waivers process. Interestingly enough, clearing waivers actually could potentially raise his trade value for any deadline dealing the Oilers have in mind, as he would then be able to move up and down for any acquiring team instead of sitting on the NHL roster.
Prospect Notes: Helleson, Vlasic, Smilanic
When Drew Helleson was signed by the Anaheim Ducks just after they acquired his rights, they could have had the entry-level contract kick in right away. That would have meant burning the first season of the three-year deal though, something that the team avoided by having it start in 2022-23. With the deal not kicking in just yet, Helleson will be signing an amateur tryout contract with the San Diego Gulls for the rest of this season, according to Elliott Teaford of the OC Register.
The 20-year-old defenseman is coming off an outstanding season with Boston College and could very well be in the NHL as soon as next year, depending on how his transition to professional hockey goes. He’ll get an early chance to test that transition, and the Gulls need him. At 22-25-2 with 19 games remaining, the team is currently occupying the very last postseason spot in the Pacific Division.
- Another young defenseman who signed recently is in a very different situation. Alex Vlasic‘s entry-level deal kicks in right away, meaning he can get into the Chicago Blackhawks lineup whenever the coaching staff deems him ready. That could even be this weekend, according to head coach Derek King, who spoke to reporters including Scott Powers of The Athletic after today’s practice. Vlasic, who stands 6’6″ and spent the last few seasons as a rock-solid defender for Boston University, was the 43rd overall pick in 2019 and figures to step into a full-time role with the Blackhawks before long.
- Ty Smilanic, who was part of the Ben Chiarot trade yesterday, is very familiar to the front office of the Montreal Canadiens. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet writes how Jeff Gorton, Kent Hughes, and Martin St. Louis all have kids who played against the Quinnipiac star at one point and pushed hard for him in the trade talks. The 20-year-old Smilanic still needs to be signed before he officially joins the Canadiens’ organization.
Owen Tippett To Be Held Out Of AHL Lineup
The Florida Panthers, or more specifically the Charlotte Checkers, will be holding Owen Tippett out of the lineup tonight according to Darren Dreger of TSN, as trade rumors continue to swirl. Tippett has been linked directly to the Philadelphia Flyers in the past and Dreger once again notes the speculation surrounding Claude Giroux.
Tippett, 23, continues to be a dominant player at the AHL level, with points in 11 of his 12 games with the Checkers and eight in his last five appearances. That minor league success hasn’t really translated to the NHL to this point though, with the young forward racking up just 14 goals and 33 points in 94 career games. Important to remember when considering those numbers though is the role that Tippett has played for the Panthers, rarely seeing anywhere close to top-six minutes given their glut of other talented options. In fact, in his 42 appearances this season he’s broken the 15-minute mark just five times and averages 12:32 on the year.
There is reason to believe that Tippett can produce at a higher level if he’s given the chance. A brilliant goal scorer in the OHL, he was picked tenth overall in 2017. Because of his situation so far, there is actually an interesting opportunity for any acquiring team. Tippett will be a restricted free agent this summer but is still not arbitration-eligible. With his depressed NHL statistics, he won’t be able to negotiate much of a raise over his entry-level salary and perhaps would even be open to a multi-year bridge deal at a relatively low cost. If someone believes that he can take a big step forward quickly–and a team like the Flyers is known to want players that can make an impact right away as they try to avoid a rebuild–he could provide quite a bit of excess value.
An injury at this point would certainly throw a wrench in those plans, meaning Tippett will likely be held out through Monday or until a trade is completed. Giroux meanwhile is set to play in his 1,000th game with the Flyers tonight, a threshold that needed to happen before any deal was possible.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
New York Rangers Have Shown Interest In Alexander Radulov
In most trade speculation about the Dallas Stars, the big names being thrown around are John Klingberg and Braden Holtby. Both players are unlikely to be moved by Monday’s deadline according to general manager Jim Nill, but there is another name on an expiring contract that has drawn at least some interest. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet writes in his latest 32 Thoughts column that the New York Rangers have shown interest in Alexander Radulov.
Whether that interest remains after the Rangers acquired Frank Vatrano from the Florida Panthers this week is unclear, though Radulov’s name is an interesting one that hasn’t been brought up much. The 35-year-old forward is on the final season of a five-year, $31.25MM contract he signed in 2017 and holds a 15-team no-trade clause. He’s also been almost entirely irrelevant this season for the Stars, registering just three goals and 18 points in 52 games.
As team reporter Mike Heika tweets, Radulov is once again expected to play on the fourth line when the Stars take on his old team the Montreal Canadiens this evening. The veteran forward has been seeing less and less ice time as the season progresses, averaging just over 11 min since the start of February (16 games). That’s a far cry from the player who was over 20 minutes a night in his first year with Dallas, one of the two consecutive 72-point campaigns he put up after arriving in Texas. Since that 2018-19 season though, he’s appeared to be in a steep decline, and has just 22 goals and 64 points in the 123 games since.
Of course, what kind of return could Radulov even bring, given his steep cap hit? The Stars could retain up to 50 percent, though even at that number an acquiring team would likely need him to play more than fourth-line minutes. New York in particular does have a bit of an imbalance when it comes to wingers, with more talent on the left side than Radulov’s natural right, but it’s extremely unclear where he would fit into the regular lineup after Vatrano’s addition.
Still, it’s another name to be cognizant of as the deadline approaches and teams look to try to find any underutilized talent around the league. If Radulov could even bring a few weeks of his former self, he could help a playoff team add some punch to the bottom of their lineup.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Morning Notes: PHF/PWHPA, Chabot, 3ICE
The NHL has requested a meeting between the PHF and PWHPA–the two feuding women’s hockey factions–to attempt to bring the two sides together. Jeff Marek of Sportsnet reports that details of the proposed meeting are still being worked out, but the PWHPA was informed recently of a multi-million dollar funding deal, one that would be an 8-10 year commitment, that would allow their proposed league to move forward. Marek doesn’t specify where the funding is coming from.
The PHF meanwhile recently announced their own massive investment, a $25MM guarantee from several private donors. That led to a huge increase in the salary cap for each team, added health benefits for the players, and other increases throughout the financial landscape of the league. It also recently saw a group of high-profile investors purchase the Toronto Six, bringing more name recognition to the ownership group. The two leagues are currently splitting the player base, with the vast majority of the U.S. and Canadian Olympians on the side of the PWHPA.
- Bad news for the Ottawa Senators, as Thomas Chabot is expected to be out long-term with a hand injury. Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia notes that the team will have more information in the coming days, but Darren Dreger of TSN was told it is a broken hand. This comes after Jake Sanderson, the team’s top defense prospect, was also ruled out for at least a few weeks, which could put his late-season rendezvous with the Senators in jeopardy. After a midseason hot streak, the Senators are back to their losing ways of late, dropping their last three and eight of ten. Without Chabot, things certainly will be more difficult down the stretch. (UPDATE: Senators head coach D.J. Smith confirmed today that Chabot has suffered a broken hand and will miss the rest of the season.)
- Back in 2020, a new 3-on-3 league called 3ICE was announced with many recognizable NHL players and coaches attached to the product. While the COVID-19 pandemic put many of the league’s plans on pause, it didn’t kill it completely. 3ICE will be back this summer and today they announced some of their first few signings. Sean Shapiro of The Athletic tweets that David Booth, Chris Bourque, Chris Conner, T.J. Hensick, and Aaron Palushaj are the first five players that will be drafted into what will be a six-team league. All five played in the NHL, with Booth even scoring 31 goals and 60 points during the 2008-09 season with the Florida Panthers.
AHL Shuffle: 03/17/22
Teams are beginning to make big changes as the NHL trade deadline is just a few days away, but while management focuses on improving the roster, the players must focus on the task at hand. Ten games are on the schedule for this evening, including the struggling Vegas Golden Knights taking on one of the league’s best teams when the Florida Panthers come to town. Vegas has lost five in a row and are slipping down the standings, now just one point ahead of the Vancouver Canucks, a team written off just a few months ago. As those teams and others prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor league shuffling right here.
Atlantic Division
- The Buffalo Sabres have reassigned Lukas Rousek to the AHL, meaning he’s on his way over from Europe now that his Czech season is over. The sixth-round pick scored 38 points in 49 games for Sparta Praha after signing his entry-level contract last spring. Already 22, he’s signed through next season.
- The Montreal Canadiens have loaned Cayden Primeau and Jesse Ylonen back to the AHL, making room to activate Jake Allen and Christian Dvorak. Allen hasn’t played in over two months, but should give the Canadiens a little boost down the stretch as he returns from injury.
Metropolitan Division
Central Division
- The yo-yo season continues for Ville Heinola, who is back up with the Winnipeg Jets on an emergency basis. Heinola, 21, has played eight games for the Jets and 32 for the Manitoba Moose so far.
Pacific Division
- With Jesse Puljujarvi and Kris Russell returning to the Oilers lineup today, the team announced that they’ve loaned forward Brad Malone back to the Bakersfield Condors. Malone, a veteran forward, had two points in six games during his callup.
This page will be updated throughout the day
Interest Rising For Jack McBain
One of the more interesting stories around this season’s trade deadline is unsigned college prospect, Jack McBain. The rights to the Minnesota Wild draft pick are expected to be traded in the next few days, as McBain has apparently made it clear he will not be signing with Minnesota and would instead test free agency this summer. He could reach unrestricted free agency in the middle of August, at which point the Wild would receive no compensation and essentially lose the third-round pick they used on McBain in 2018.
Now 22, the Boston College star could sign and play with a team this season, adding an impressive 6’4″ forward into the mix. In 24 games at BC this season he scored 19 goals and 33 points, while also attending the Olympics with Team Canada. The asking price was believed to be a second-round pick, though Darren Dreger of TSN suggests it could even be climbing as multiple teams join the hunt to try and get him signed.
Selected 63rd overall in 2018, McBain was the first pick of the third round and could quickly become one of the steals of the draft should his college production carry over to the professional ranks. Big, two-way centers aren’t easy to come by, and given the sneaky amount of skill that McBain possesses, there may even be more than the bottom-six pivot he still projects as. If he can carve out a role similar to Joel Eriksson Ek, for instance, he would obviously be worth even more than a second-round pick.
That’s obviously not a guarantee though, and as contenders load up on rentals, McBain’s future may lie with a team not quite as close to the top. Prospects in a situation like this often chase the best opportunity, not necessarily the best team, as they hope to make an impact early on. Given that he’s already 22, McBain will be signing a two-year entry-level contract, meaning he’ll be set to reach restricted free agency by the end of 2022-23. If he wants to have NHL stats to take into a negotiation, finding a home with a less impressive depth chart may be the way to go.