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Los Angeles Kings Extend Mikey Anderson

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6:33 pm: CapFriendly has reported the full breakdown of the eight-year contract. He’ll receive $1.6MM in base salary and a $2MM signing bonus in 2023-24, and $4.2MM per year (all in base salary) for the remainder of the contract. There is no trade protection involved.

12:06 pm: The Los Angeles Kings, rumored to be involved in a trade for one defenseman, have signed a long-term extension with another. Mikey Anderson has inked an eight-year deal that will kick in next season, and keep him under contract through 2030-31. Moving forward, he will carry an average annual value of $4.125MM.

Kings general manager Rob Blake had this to say:

We’re excited to have a player of Mikey Anderson’s caliber signed to the Kings long-term. Mikey has not only developed into a trusted, shut-down player on the ice, but a well-respected individual in the room that we envision continuing to grow into our leadership core.

Anderson, 23, has quickly become one of the most reliable defensive defensemen in the league. Despite his relatively small frame, he plays a physical, risk-free brand of hockey and is almost always found latched onto the other team’s best, frustrating them at every turn.

Selected in the fourth round in 2017, he not only became a star at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, but his leadership skills quickly shone through, making him the captain of the U.S. World Junior team that won silver in 2019. He would win a national championship a few months later, his second in as many years, and then transition to professional hockey.

It only took him half a minor league season before showing he was ready for the NHL, and he’s never looked back. Anderson has 33 points in 172 regular season games, and now averages close to 22 minutes a night for the Kings.

Defense-first defensemen rarely get huge paydays, but this is a significant commitment from Los Angeles nonetheless. Anderson’s current contract was just a one-year, $1MM deal that he signed in September as a bridge, but he’ll never have to negotiate as a restricted free agent again.

With the suspected cap increase, this could quickly turn into quite the bargain for the Kings. Anderson already sits as the 74th-highest cap hit among defenders for next season, a number that will continue to go down as more players sign new deals.

Even if more offense never comes, Anderson’s strong defensive play should make this a reasonable bet for the Kings to make.

Jonathan Toews Placed On Injured Reserve

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The Chicago Blackhawks have completed a number of transactions ahead of their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight. Cole Guttman, Brett Seney, and Isaak Phillips have been recalled from the AHL. To make room, Jarred Tinordi, Jonathan Toews, and Alex Stalock are all going on injured reserve.

Toews is certainly the biggest name among that group, especially as the trade deadline nears. His mysterious illness has kept him away from the team for more than a week, and he has not played since the end of January. Given how long he’s been out, Toews will be able to be activated as soon as he’s healthy, but there’s no clear timeline on that at this point.

Stalock, meanwhile is dealing with “ocular dysfunction,” as it was recently revealed that it is not a concussion keeping him sidelined. He is dealing a “cranial thing” affecting his eyesight and ability to track the puck, according to head coach Luke Richardson yesterday.

Tinordi is out with a knee sprain suffered last night against the Montreal Canadiens and will have to miss at least a week after landing on injured reserve.

Notably, this is Guttman’s first NHL recall, after joining the program last summer as a college free agent. The 23-year-old forward has been good in his first year of pro hockey, scoring 16 goals and 30 points in 39 games. Undersized, he will try to prove that his height won’t stop him from contributing at the highest level.

Trade Deadline Primer: Buffalo Sabres

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Halfway through February, the trade deadline looms and is just a few weeks away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Buffalo Sabres.

For all the fans that want to point to Jack Eichel as the problem, it was going on long before he arrived. It’s been a decade since the Buffalo Sabres had a winning season. Finally, it appears that that streak will end, and the players involved deserve a reward.

The young group in Buffalo has shown flashes of real brilliance, starting with Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin. There’s optimism that they can even compete for the playoffs this year, and finally won’t be acting as the sellers they’ve been for so long.

Record

26-22-4, 5th in the Atlantic

Deadline Status

Opportunistic buyers

Deadline Cap Space

$58.23MM today, $80.4MM in deadline space, 0/3 retention slots used, 42/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2023: BUF 1st, BUF 2nd, PHI 2nd, VGK 2nd, BUF 4th, BUF 5th, BUF 6th, BUF 7th

2024:BUF 1st, BUF 2nd, BUF 3rd, BUF 4th, BUF 5th, BUF 6th, BUF 7th

Trade Chips

You’re not reading that incorrectly. The Sabres could (technically) add more than $80MM in cap hits at the deadline. That’s what happens when you spend the entire season flirting with the salary cap floor. Even next season, when they have big-money extensions kicking in for Thompson, Dylan Cozens, and Mattias Samuelsson, they still have less than $60MM committed and nearly an entire roster signed.

That means the old favorite phrase will be thrown around in the coming weeks. You guessed it, the Sabres can weaponize their cap space. They can play middleman for other transactions, they can bring on bad money to facilitate added value, and they can get involved in basically every bidding war imaginable.

That’s not to say they will, but cap space in itself is a precious asset for NHL teams.

Beyond that, those three second-round picks look like the perfect pieces to be involved in a deal. This isn’t a team that should load up by spending top prospects and picks on a bunch of rentals. They’re not good enough to do that yet. But targeting the next tier of available players with a second (or two), and then using the cap space to re-sign them? That sounds like a winning plan to support the development of your young core.

Even some of those younger players could be dangled in the right deal. Casey Mittelstadt hasn’t worked out as planned, even if he does have a career-high 31 points this season. The eighth-overall pick from 2017 is signed for next year at a reasonable $2.5MM, but leaves you wanting more almost every night.

Peyton Krebs has been much the same since arriving in the Jack Eichel trade, though he is quite a bit younger than Mittelstadt. If he had to be used as a piece to get a more dominant top-six forward, especially one with term, it might make sense for the Sabres to pull the trigger.

One interesting name to consider, perhaps next trade deadline more than this one, is Victor Olofsson. The 27-year-old has an excellent 23 goals in 52 games, but never quite grew into the role that they hoped he would as a play-driving option. For instance, Olofsson is averaging less time at even strength than JJ Peterka, but makes up for it with his regular powerplay minutes. Given he is only signed for one more year, there’s no guarantee that he is part of the long-term plan in Buffalo, or just benefiting from a lack of experienced scoring options at the moment.

Other trade chips: G Eric Comrie, D Ilya Lyubushkin, D Kale Clague

Team Needs

1) Top-six winger: This is where the opportunistic part comes in. Buffalo should be involved in talks for some of the big names, including Timo Meier, as an opportunity to add an impact player to the group. In Meier’s case specifically, they could absorb the $10MM qualifying offer, but long-term extensions are also possible for Buffalo no matter who they acquire. Captain Kyle Okposo may be a good option to bring back on a cheaper deal, but he shouldn’t be relied on as the team’s fourth-best winger anymore. Landing a big name will let the likes of Peterka, and Quinn develop on their own schedule.

2) Third-line center: On a contending team, Mittelstadt probably isn’t the answer as the third pivot. Sure, the Sabres have other top prospects like Noah Ostlund and Matthew Savoie coming, but getting a veteran two-way player to support Thompson and Cozens would put them so far ahead of the curve. The return of Ryan O’Reilly seems unlikely, but there could be other opportunities out there to upgrade that spot if they want to take a swing this year.

(Bonus need) Veteran defense: If there’s one area that the Sabres are probably going to do just fine in the long term, it’s on the back end, with Dahlin and Owen Power anchoring two top-tier pairings. But if there is a real desire to compete for the playoffs this year, adding some veteran experience to the back end is a must. Grabbing a rental, preferably right-handed, just to beef up the depth will go a long way to letting the next 30 games be as impactful as the first 50.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Brandon Davidson Signs In SHL

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It’s off to Sweden for former NHL defenseman Brandon Davidson, who has signed a contract with Farjestad BK for the rest of the season. Davidson had previously been playing on an AHL deal with the Cleveland Monsters, which had followed a PTO with the Rochester Americans.

Last appearing in the NHL during the 2020-21 season, the 31-year-old Davidson has 180 games under his belt at the highest level in a long professional career. Most of those came with the Edmonton Oilers over two stints following his selection 162nd overall in 2010.

He has also played for the Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders, Chicago Blackhawks, Calgary Flames, San Jose Sharks, and Buffalo Sabres, as he bounced around trying to find a home. Now it’s off to Europe to try and keep that professional career going, with little chance of an NHL return in the future.

Davidson scored nine goals and 23 points in the NHL, and appeared in the postseason on three occasions.

Wayne Simmonds Clears Waivers

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Feb 15: Simmonds has cleared waivers, meaning the Maple Leafs can now send him to the minor leagues (at least on paper) when necessary.

Feb 14: The Toronto Maple Leafs have again placed Wayne Simmonds on waivers, according to Ryan Rishaug of TSN, allowing them to move him up and down when necessary. Simmonds has already cleared twice this season.

The veteran forward is essentially a practice player at this point in his career, suiting up just 13 times for the Maple Leafs so far. He isn’t going to play in the minor leagues – in fact, he has never suited up for a minor league club in his 15-year professional career – but the team will move him down whenever they have a bit of a cap crunch.

That is likely in preparation for the trade deadline, which Simmonds will now be waiver-exempt through should he clear tomorrow. If the Maple Leafs add a forward, which is expected at this point, cap will need to be opened up.

One thing to remember is that after the deadline, there is no longer a 23-man roster limit. If you have the cap space, you can carry as many players as you want. In Toronto’s case, Simmonds will likely be up whenever someone is injured, and at the very least is going to be with the team for the playoffs, staying ready to go in if necessary.

Morning Notes: Knies, Shore, Studenic

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the teams rumored to be interested in several top names at the trade deadline, but they might have their late-season addition already in the system. Matthew Knies has 17 goals and 31 points in 30 games this year for the University of Minnesota and is “likely” to sign with the Maple Leafs at the end of the college season, according to Joshua Kloke of The Athletic.

Knies also joined Leafs Morning Take with Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill and explained he believes he can be a production pro player this spring, after choosing to go back to college last year. The 20-year-old winger recently came in at No. 42 in Scott Wheeler’s ranking of the best drafted prospects across the league.

  • Devin Shore has been sent back to the AHL once again, leaving the Edmonton Oilers with the opportunity to activate Kailer Yamamoto if they can clear just $1.125MM in cap space. That happens to be the exact amount that is buried when a player costing more than that is sent to the minor leagues. Jesse Puljujarvi remains the most likely player to be waived, though there are countless other ways the Oilers could clear the room, including the trade market.
  • Speaking of bouncing back and forth, Marian Studenic is on his way back to the Texas Stars today. The 24-year-old forward played fewer than ten minutes for the Dallas Stars yesterday, his third appearance of the season. As one of the few teams not currently using long-term injured reserve relief, Dallas can bank cap space between games by reducing their roster as much as possible.

Alex Ovechkin Away From Capitals For Personal Reasons

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Feb 15: Ovechkin has announced the death of his father. Though no official timeline has been given for his return, head coach Peter Laviolette told the media, including Tom Gulitti of NHL.com, that he does not expect him back this week. That throws his status for Saturday’s Stadium Series game in jeopardy.

Feb 14: The Gretzky chase will have to wait. Alex Ovechkin will be away from the Washington Capitals to attend to a family matter and the health of a loved one.

After going scoreless in his last four, Ovechkin sits at 32 goals through 54 games this season and 812 for his career. Every time he lights the lamp, he inches closer to hockey immortality – and helps the Capitals fight for a playoff spot in the tough Metropolitan Division.

It is not clear how long he will be absent but will be missing at least tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes. The club also takes on the Florida Panthers on Thursday before meeting Carolina again on Saturday night.

Hopefully, the superstar winger will resolve whatever is taking him away and return to the team before long.

In the meantime, the Capitals have recalled Joe Snively to take his place. The 27-year-old winger has played six games with Washington this season, recording one point. The 5’9″ forward certainly isn’t a replacement for Ovechkin but is a nice offensive piece that the team can move around and potentially put on the powerplay.

Alex Steeves Reassigned To AHL; Auston Matthews Expected To Return

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The Toronto Maple Leafs continue their roster tweaks, this time sending Alex Steeves back down to the minor leagues. The move comes with Wayne Simmonds on waivers and Auston Matthews appearing to be ready to return after taking in a full practice yesterday.

Steeves, 23, will be down in time to rejoin the Toronto Marlies for their morning match against the Utica Comets today, but likely means he won’t be playing for the Maple Leafs this evening. The young undrafted forward has been outstanding at the AHL level, scoring 39 points in 44 games this season and generally being one of the team’s most reliable players.

Through two games this season and three last year, Steeves has just one point at the NHL level and hasn’t recorded a goal just yet. After becoming a star at Notre Dame, he signed an entry-level deal with the Maple Leafs that keeps him under contract through the 2023-24 season.

If this indicates Matthews’ return, it will be nearly bang on the three-week timeline he was originally given. The star forward last played on January 25 against the New York Rangers, before being shut down due to a knee sprain.

Without him, Toronto has gone 2-3, including an embarrassing loss to the last-place Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, in which they were outshot 40-29. Getting him back ahead of the deadline is no small thing, as the Maple Leafs can assess the strength of their group at full health.

Vladislav Gavrikov Held Out For Trade-Related Reasons

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4:55 pm: While Gavrikov has likely played his last game in Columbus, ESPN’s Kevin Weekes doesn’t expect a trade to come tonight. He tweeted Tuesday afternoon that “nothing is imminent” regarding Gavrikov and that Columbus remains aggressive in trying to find a trade partner.

9:34 am: We have a new catchphrase in the NHL. Vladislav Gavrikov will be held out of tonight’s Columbus Blue Jackets’ lineup for “trade-related reasons.” The big defender has been one of the top trade targets for weeks, given his expiring contract and versatility.

Gavrikov, 27, carries a cap hit of just $2.8MM, meaning basically any contender in the league could fit him in with some creative accounting. Given that Chris Johnston of NorthStar Bets is reporting no trade is imminent, this move will likely cause all interested teams to put together their best offer.

This isn’t a player that will wow you offensively, but Gavrikov can do just about everything else. He is physical, defends hard, blocks a ton of shots, and can help any penalty kill. Plus, even though offense isn’t his calling card, he can effectively move the puck out of his end – not just bang it off the glass. That’s how he ended up with 33 points last season, even if that number is probably going to be a career-high or close to it.

At last year’s deadline, defensive defensemen with expiring contracts brought back a significant amount at the deadline. Josh Manson cost a second-round pick, and prospect Drew Helleson, while Ben Chiarot even landed a first-round pick for the Montreal Canadiens. The former ended up winning a Stanley Cup and re-signing, while the latter didn’t contribute much in the postseason, and then moved on in free agency.

You can see how it might be difficult to jump into the bidding on a player like Gavrikov, even if he fits a need. In this case, Gavrikov’s agent has already been given permission to discuss an extension with interested teams. That will maximize the Blue Jackets’ return and give acquiring clubs a bit of security past this one playoff run.

Given his age, an extension is buying out prime years for the big Russian. Gavrikov won’t turn 28 until late November.

Snapshots: Predators, Shore, Gadjovich

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The Nashville Predators aren’t going to be buyers this year. That’s according to general manager David Poile, who joined Nashville radio this morning to explain his trade deadline plans.

I do not think we are a buyer, let’s start with that. If things don’t change more favorably and get into some kind of winning streak, we certainly could be a seller. But that’s not today. 

The Predators sit fifth in the Central Division, and despite a 25-20-6 record, actually have a negative goal differential on the year. However, what they would sell isn’t clear, given the only pending UFAs on the roster are Mark Jankowski and Kevin Lankinen. Teams rarely target players with long-term contracts at the deadline, and the Predators have 10 of 23 roster spots inked through at least 2024-25.

  • Devin Shore is back up for the Edmonton Oilers, meaning Kailer Yamamoto won’t be coming off injured reserve just yet. Klim Kostin was back on the ice with the team today, and Leon Draisatil was only missing for maintenance and is expected to play tomorrow. For Yamamoto to return, the Oilers need to clear a significant amount of cap space; most expect that to be the waiving or trade of Jesse Puljujarvi, though nothing has materialized to this point.
  • Jonah Gadjovich will be out on a week-to-week basis, according to Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group. Kevin Labanc will jump back into the San Jose Sharks lineup on the fourth line, potentially giving the team a chance to showcase the forward before the trade deadline. The 27-year-old Labanc still carries a $4.725MM cap hit through next season and has 25 points in 45 games.
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