Snapshots: Trade Bait, Giordano, Halak
The trade deadline is now just over five weeks away and the stove is heating up. TSN’s Chris Johnston has released his first Trade Bait board, with Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun firmly planted at the top of the list. An interesting mix of youth, upside, and contract status that rarely appears as an in-season trade candidate, Chychrun’s market likely encompasses most of the league.
The rest of the board includes the usual names, Ben Chiarot from Montreal, John Klingberg from Dallas, but also some that perhaps aren’t talked about as much, like Mark Pysyk of the Buffalo Sabres and Chris Tierney of the Ottawa Senators. In all, there are 24 names among the targets listed by Johnston, plus the extra cap space that the Coyotes have learned to weaponize in order to make asset additions.
- One of the other names on the list is Mark Giordano, appearing near the top as he did on The Athletic’s version last month. Giordano spoke with Ryan S. Clark of The Athletic for a piece released today and indicated that he still hasn’t spoken to Seattle Kraken general manager Ron Francis about the impending deadline decision. Giordano doesn’t actually have full control of that process as his no-trade clause only lists 19 teams he can be traded to, but as a respected veteran and the first captain in team history, he’ll be consulted along the way. Giordano admits to Clark that he doesn’t exactly want to be traded, but understands that there is “a business side to this sport.”
- There was a misunderstanding in the performance bonus clause for Vancouver Canucks goaltender Jaroslav Halak, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. It was widely reported that Halak had reached the 10-game threshold to earn a $1.25MM bonus the other night but that clause is actually for 10 starts not appearances. Halak has started just nine games so far this season.
Toronto Maple Leafs Extend Joseph Woll
The Toronto Maple Leafs have secured some goaltending depth for the next few years, signing Joseph Woll to a three-year extension. The contract will carry an average annual value of $766,666 and is a two-way deal in the first year. Woll was scheduled to become a restricted free agent at the end of the season. PuckPedia reports that in the first year, the contract will pay him $750K in the NHL, $350K in the AHL, and includes a minor league guarantee of $450K.
A third-round pick in 2016, the 23-year-old netminder finally made his NHL debut this season, playing in four games for the team when they were dealing with other injuries. He actually held his own, winning three of the four, posting a .911 save percentage, and recording his first career shutout. In the minor leagues, where he has played eight games it’s the same story, with a .911 save percentage and more wins than losses. That’s an encouraging sign for a goaltender who has dealt with several injuries since leaving Boston College in 2019 and had previously been unable to post a save percentage above .900 even in the minor leagues.
Standing 6’4″, Woll is an exceptionally flexible goaltender and can make highlight-reel saves at times. It’s consistency in positioning and technique that he will have to improve if he wants to make an impact at the next level, in Toronto or elsewhere. Though the Maple Leafs’ depth chart may look like a tough nut to crack for a young goaltender, Woll has actually done himself a favor by signing for such little money.
Jack Campbell, the current starter, is a free agent at the end of the season and will need a pretty substantial raise after his play so far. The team is already paying Petr Mrazek $3.8MM a year through 2023-24, meaning a raise for Campbell could take their combined cap hit to an uncomfortable level for a team that is invested so heavily in other players. If Campbell is allowed to walk, or Mrazek moved out for cap relief in the summer, Woll’s $767K cap hit would certainly be a huge opportunity in 2022-23. If he can show enough to take on a backup role, the team could invest money elsewhere, something they’ve already begun to do by extending Morgan Rielly.
If not, Woll is still waiver-exempt for another season, meaning he can go to the minor leagues next year without issue.
Brad Malone, Justin Dowling Clear Waivers
Feb 11: Malone and Dowling have both cleared, according to Friedman. They can now be assigned to the minor leagues.
Feb 10: The waiver wire has two players on it today, as Brad Malone of the Edmonton Oilers and Justin Dowling of the Vancouver Canucks are both available for claim according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. If Malone’s name surprises you, it should; the veteran forward had been playing on an AHL contract but has now signed a one-year, two-way, NHL deal with the Oilers. In order to return to Bakersfield for the time being, he needs to clear waivers after signing the new deal.
Malone, 32, is the captain of the Condors, meaning he likely has a close relationship with Jay Woodcroft, who is now taking over as head coach of the Oilers after Dave Tippett was let go earlier today. That isn’t necessarily the reason for this contract though, as reports had surfaced much earlier in the year that Edmonton wanted to sign Malone to an NHL deal but couldn’t for salary cap reasons. Still, Woodcroft’s promotion could certainly mean that there is a bit of NHL playing time in Malone’s future, depending on what happens with the rest of the roster.
If he does come back up at some point, it certainly wouldn’t be a new experience. Malone has more than 200 NHL games under his belt to this point, including some playoff contests back when he was with the Colorado Avalanche organization. He played 16 games with the Oilers in 2018-19, his last appearance in the NHL.
Dowling meanwhile has played in 22 games with the Canucks this season, including last night’s loss against the New York Islanders. He has just two goals and four points in those matches, while usually seeing less than ten minutes of ice time. Because he’s in just the first season of a two-year, one-way contract, it seems unlikely that another team would claim him unless they feel he can make an immediate impact in the lineup. The 31-year-old has just 18 points in 98 career regular season games.
Christian Dvorak Drawing Trade Interest
When the Montreal Canadiens lost Phillip Danault and Jesperi Kotkaniemi in quick succession, the decision they made on how to fill the hole at center came with some controversy. Despite some questions about how well the team would play in 2021-22 without the likes of Danault, Shea Weber, and Carey Price, the team used a first and second-round pick to acquire Christian Dvorak from the Arizona Coyotes. While this season’s complete collapse wasn’t expected, spending futures was certainly a risk with the Canadiens’ recent regular season struggles.
Now, less than a full season into his time in Montreal and Dvorak is in the rumor mill once again. Elliotte Friedman writes that some Western Conference teams are considering Dvorak, and the Sportsnet insider then explained further on the recent 32 Thoughts podcast:
Look he’s had a nightmare of a year. It’s just been a horrible nightmare of a year for him. But I think everybody recognizes that he’s a better player than he gets credit for this year. I think there are some teams in the west in particular that have looked at him and are interested in him and are kind of going up and down. On their list of people to acquire, he’s on it. I don’t have specifics yet but I think he’s definitely got some teams out there looking at him.
It was always going to be a tough task to replace Danault’s elite defensive ability but the hope was that Dvorak could represent a more well-rounded player in Montreal and reach a level of offensive production that he had yet to experience with the Arizona Coyotes. In five years in the desert, he had career-highs of 18 goals and 38 points, not exactly first-line-center kind of numbers. Instead, Dvorak has scored at just about the same rate as he always has, recording seven goals and 16 points in 34 games for an 82-game pace of 17 goals and 38 points. Certainly, some of that can be attributed to injury and the depressing state of the Canadiens offense around him, but it’s not clear what kind of drop his value has experienced this season.
Notably, Dvorak isn’t one of those players on an expiring contract that is shipped to a contender at the deadline in order to provide some depth for the playoffs. He is signed through 2024-25 at a $4.45MM cap hit, a contract he signed in 2018 right out of his entry-level deal. That term means the Canadiens obviously don’t have to move him, though new general manager Kent Hughes has hinted that big changes will be coming to the Montreal roster in the coming weeks and months.
The Canadiens don’t really have any centers that are banging down the door to be installed behind Nick Suzuki in the top-six. Ryan Poehling and Jake Evans have been inconsistent through the early parts of their professional careers, while Jonathan Drouin has been used exclusively on the wing for quite some time. Among the team’s top five prospects–ranked by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic–only Jan Mysak of the Hamilton Bulldogs has much real experience in the middle.
There is of course the upcoming draft, which has a pair of centers at the top. Shane Wright and Logan Cooley lead the way as the top two prospects on most lists, a position the Canadiens have a good chance at drafting given their current place in the standings. But Dvorak’s future doesn’t necessarily need to be tied to those two at all, given the fact that even if they step directly into the NHL they would be on entry-level contracts.
Instead, the decision whether to trade Dvorak at the deadline or not would signal more how the new administration views this current group of Canadiens. If it’s just a short retool in order, his contract is still long enough and reasonable enough to keep around. If it’s a full rebuild, trading a 26-year-old with three years left on his deal–and before his value drops any lower–might be a prudent decision.
Sean Couturier Out Rest Of Season Following Back Surgery
The Philadelphia Flyers will be without alternate captain Sean Couturier for the remainder of the season after he underwent successful back surgery this morning. The procedure was performed by Dr. Jon Yoon at Pennsylvania Hospital. General manager Chuck Fletcher explained that the recovery period is approximately three months and the medical staff is confident Couturier will be back to full strength in time for training camp.
Fletcher explained that surgery is also potentially on the table for Ryan Ellis and Kevin Hayes, giving the latter a “50-50” chance to return this season.
The tenor of Fletcher’s press conference today was clearly one of defeat as he looks forward to next season. The 2021-22 campaign is basically already over for the Flyers despite them having played just 46 games. With a 15-23-8 record, major injuries to several key players, and a Metropolitan Division that contains several difficult opponents, the playoffs are off the table for the eighth-place Flyers.
Once again these announcements will lead to plenty of speculation about the future of Claude Giroux, who remains one of the top trade candidates in the league. The veteran forward is on an expiring contract and is now on a team that not only is losing games but also top players seemingly every few days.
For Couturier, his season is ending after 29 games and just 17 points. That’s the lowest total since his difficult sophomore campaign and will rob him of the chance of hitting 500 career points this year. A Selke winner in 2020, Couturier’s injury and absence have been some of the biggest factors in Philadelphia’s demise this year.
A back surgery, whether the staff expects a full recovery or not, is also a concern given the fact that Couturier signed a new eight-year, $62MM contract extension in the offseason. This was the last year of his discount deal and next year he’ll suddenly carry a cap hit of $7.75MM. Even with Giroux and others like Rasmus Ristolainen coming off the books, the team has more than $68MM committed to just ten players for 2022-23.
AHL Shuffle: 02/11/22
Jay Woodcroft and the Edmonton Oilers will get a chance to change some of the narratives around their team tonight when they take on the New York Islanders. It will be Woodcroft’s first game as an NHL head coach and a game that feels almost like a must-win for the Oilers’ playoff hopes. As those teams and others prepare, we’ll keep track of all the minor league shuffling right here.
Atlantic Division
- The Ottawa Senators have reassigned Parker Kelly to the AHL, where he has spent the majority of the season. Kelly hasn’t been in an NHL game since November but does have nine points in 23 minor league appearances this season.
- After last night’s loss, the Boston Bruins have made a swap, sending Tyler Lewington to the AHL in favor of Jack Ahcan. The 24-year-old Ahcan has played in two games for the Bruins this season and has 19 points in 31 contests with Providence.
Metropolitan Division
- The Pittsburgh Penguins have reassigned Michael Chaput and Valtteri Puustinen to the AHL, without the latter actually making his NHL debut. The 22-year-old Puustinen has 27 points in 40 games during his first year of North American professional hockey.
- Carson Meyer has been sent back to the AHL after failing to make his NHL debut with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 24-year-old had been up under emergency conditions, but will have to wait for another opportunity to make his mark. The Ohio native has 12 points in 33 games with the Cleveland Monsters this season.
- The Washington Capitals have sent Aliaksei Protas to the minor leagues now that Alex Ovechkin can rejoin the team at home. Ovechkin was held out of the game in Montreal due to COVID travel restrictions but will be back on the ice against the Ottawa Senators Sunday afternoon.
- The New York Rangers have recalled Morgan Barron with Larry Brooks of the New York Post reporting that Kaapo Kakko will be sidelined for an extended period of time. Kakko hasn’t played since January 21 and will presumably miss the team’s next game on February 15.
- The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled Jackson Cates under emergency conditions as they continue to deal with injury issues. The team announced Sean Couturier‘s season-ending surgery earlier today and is considering another procedure for Kevin Hayes.
Central Division
Pacific Division
This page will be updated throughout the day
Zack Kassian, Duncan Keith Out Multiple Weeks
5:38 pm: The team also announced that they’ve moved forward Kyle Turris to injured reserve. He’s only played four games since the beginning of January but has been a healthy scratch for most of the time. The nature of his injury is unknown. To fill his roster spot, the team recalled defenseman Philip Broberg from the AHL.
2:41 pm: The Edmonton Oilers will be without Zack Kassian and Duncan Keith for the next several weeks, general manager Ken Holland announced today. Kassian is dealing with a broken jaw that will keep him out four to six weeks, while Keith is in concussion protocol, has upper-body soreness and could miss two to four weeks. The Oilers will recall Markus Niemelainen from Bakersfield to fill one of the roster spots.
Kassian, 31, left last night’s game after playing just 4:52 of ice time, though that wasn’t all that far off from what he had been receiving of late anyway. The veteran forward has just five goals and 14 points through 35 games and will now end up missing at least a month with this latest injury. In the second season of a four-year, $12.8MM contract signed in 2020, Kassian is actually the fifth-highest paid forward on the Oilers. That salary won’t result in much offense this season given this latest absence, especially if he falls closer to the six-week timeline and misses a good chunk of March.
Keith meanwhile might be a bigger loss, even though the 38-year-old is a shadow of the player that helped lead the Chicago Blackhawks to three Stanley Cup championships. The Oilers simply don’t have the defensive depth to lose a top-four option long-term, unless a younger player is able to take a step forward and take on a good chunk of responsibility.
Perhaps that will happen with new interim head coach Jay Woodcroft taking over and defensive coach Dave Manson coming along with him. Niemelainen will obviously be very familiar with both from their time in Bakersfield, though the 23-year-old has just seven games of experience at the NHL level.
Coyotes Close Deal To Use ASU Facility
Feb 10: The Coyotes have reached a multi-year agreement with ASU to play home games at the new multi-purpose facility starting next season and continuing through at least 2024-25. Team president Xavier A. Gutierrez released a statement on the deal:
We are thrilled that we have arranged to play our home games in Arizona State University’s new multi-purpose arena starting next season. This will be an incredible, intimate and exciting fan experience in a state-of-the-art new arena in a fantastic location in the heart of Tempe. We are very grateful to Dr. Crow, the ASU Administration, ASU Athletic Department, and the Arizona Board of Regents for agreeing to provide us with this temporary arena solution for our team as we continue our efforts to secure a long-term home for the Coyotes in the Valley.
The team has agreed to cover all costs involved in the new construction and will cover the entire lease agreement upfront.
Jan 27: The Arizona Coyotes have to find a new home for the 2022-23 season as the city of Glendale has ended their lease agreement at Gila River Arena, effective June 30. While they continue to try and secure a deal to build a new arena in the Tempe area, a potential short-term solution is being worked on. Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports reports that the Coyotes are in the “advanced stages” of discussions with Arizona State University to use the new multipurpose arena as a temporary home, negotiating a three-year deal with an option for a fourth should the construction on a Tempe rink take that long.
While getting the Coyotes into that area would start their migration to Tempe, the new multipurpose arena holds a maximum of just 5,000 spectators and would need millions of dollars in additional construction to house the NHL club. Bill Daly, NHL deputy commissioner, told Morgan that he would not rule out a plan that has the Coyotes playing in an arena with a seating capacity of 5,000.
The Coyotes, continually mired in relocation speculation since they arrived in 1996, currently average 11,575 fans per game according to ESPN. Cutting that number by more than 50 percent would obviously have a huge financial impact for the team and sink Arizona’s revenue even lower. Perhaps that is part of why the team has been so aggressive in shedding future salary, trading out big-ticket players like Oliver Ekman-Larsson over the last year.
In fact, Arizona currently has 15 players on the roster or injured reserve that are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents in the summer. They have just six players–Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, Andrew Ladd, Jakob Chychrun, Shayne Gostisbehere, and Conor Timmins–signed to one-way contracts for 2022-23. Those six total less than $30MM in cap charges, with the salary owed even lower. Chychrun, who carries a cap hit of $4.6MM and is owed $4MM next season in salary, is expected to be traded before this year’s deadline.
A stay in the new ASU facility would come alongside the first few years of this scorched earth rebuild that the Coyotes have begun under new general manager Bill Armstrong. The team has continued to strip all valuable on-ice assets away while loading up with draft picks and prospects. The team holds eight draft picks in the first two rounds this year.
Snapshots: Stone, Flyers, Canadiens
The Vegas Golden Knights are coming up to a different deadline. When Jack Eichel is ready to return–not to mention Alec Martinez, who is also skating with the group–the team will have to clear a good amount of salary off the books to activate him from long-term injured reserve. Players like Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith have been bandied about as potential pieces that could be moved out, but Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff has heard a very different idea.
The belief is, and again, we’ll see how the Golden Knights play this in the coming days, is that [Mark] Stone is suffering from a degenerative back condition that may keep him out long term. Maybe until the playoffs? That’s the big question mark. And Stone, if his $9.5 million salary is moved to the long term injured reserve, that would open up enough space not just for the Vegas Golden Knights to activate Jack Eichel…
Stone has missed games this season on several different occasions as he deals with a back injury that won’t go away, but moving him to LTIR through the end of the season would certainly be a dramatic decision. It has obviously been done most recently with Nikita Kucherov, who missed an entire season only to be activated in the playoffs when the salary cap disappears, but the idea of losing Stone for the last 34 games wouldn’t be ideal for anyone. The Golden Knights aren’t even guaranteed the playoffs at this point despite being at the top of the Pacific Division. They sit just five points ahead of the fourth-place Calgary Flames that beat them 6-0 last night.
- The Philadelphia Flyers have made two additions to their analytics staff, hiring Kathryn Yates as a hockey analyst and Cole Anderson as lead data scientist. General manager Chuck Fletcher had recently promised to expand the analytics department, and these hires now take it to five full-time staff members. After a disappointing season, there will obviously be plenty of work for Fletcher and the rest of the staff to do this summer.
- When Martin St. Louis was introduced as the next head coach of the Montreal Canadiens today, general manager Kent Hughes explained that it wouldn’t be the only change he makes. In fact, he told reporters including Arpon Basu of The Athletic that the coaching change is “the first of several.” Hughes has already said he’s open to anything, not just selling off rental pieces at the trade deadline. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period adds that the Canadiens have been getting lots of calls on players that still have some term left.
Marcus Foligno Suspended Two Games
The Department of Player Safety has issued some more discipline, this time suspending Minnesota Wild forward Marcus Foligno two games for his knee on Adam Lowry of the Winnipeg Jets. As the accompanying video explains:
It is important to note that this is an intentional decision by Foligno and not a player accidentally falling or stumbling onto his opponent. Foligno clearly and intentionally uses his knee to inflict force on the head of his vulnerable opponent. We have heard Foligno’s arguement that this was not a violent knee strike or an exceptionally forceful blow and we agree. It is only the relative lack of force on this play that keeps Foligno from being subject to much more severe discipline for an action that is unacceptable for an NHL player to perform.
The fact that Foligno has not received a fine or a suspension previously in his career also helped his case, along with the fact that Lowry did not suffer a serious injury. The two were already getting fighting majors for the scrap that took place just before this incident, while Foligno earned an extra two-minute penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.
That clean history is now tarnished, at least in terms of supplementary discipline. Foligno’s actions will be under a microscope going forward and any other suspensions could be lengthened as a result. It also means he will miss games against the Carolina Hurricanes and Detroit Red Wings, important home dates to keep the Wild on their current hot streak.