Vegas Golden Knights Acquire Mattias Janmark
After acquiring Adam Gaudette, the Chicago Blackhawks have sent one of their other forwards elsewhere. Mattias Janmark has been traded to the Vegas Golden Knights in a three-team deal that also includes the San Jose Sharks. The full deal:
- To Vegas: Mattias Janmark, 2022 fifth-round pick (CHI), Nick DeSimone
- To San Jose: 2022 fifth-round pick (BUF)
- To Chicago: 2021 second-round pick (VGK), 2022 third-round pick (VGK)
Chicago retained 50% of Janmark’s cap hit, and subsequently the Sharks retained 50$ of what remained. That means the Golden Knights are on the hook for just 25% of what is remaining on Janmark’s deal.
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.
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic was first to note a deal was coming.
Tampa Bay Lightning Acquire Fredrik Claesson
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
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
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
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.
PHR 2021 Trade Deadline Live Chat Transcript
Click here to read a transcript of the special deadline day live chat with PHR’s Gavin Lee.
Boston Bruins Acquire Taylor Hall
7:00 AM: The Bruins have officially announced the trade.
10:59 PM: The most talked-about rental this season has finally found a home, as the Boston Bruins turned around from their 8-1 loss this evening and will acquire Taylor Hall from the Buffalo Sabres according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. John Buccigross of ESPN was the first to suggest a deal was coming on Twitter (in quite entertaining fashion). Darren Dreger of TSN reports that the deal will be Hall and injured forward Curtis Lazar for Anders Bjork and a second-round pick. According to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, the Sabres have retained 50% of Hall’s $8MM cap hit through the end of this season.
Hall had full control of this process, given he held a no-movement clause and could block a trade to any team in the league. He decided to waive that clause to go to Boston. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period notes that the New York Islanders and Washington Capitals were also in the running earlier today. The fact that the Sabres were unable to secure a first-round pick for Hall will be the takeaway for Buffalo fans, but Hall is in the midst of a brutal season. While you can’t forget that he was the league MVP in 2018, you also can’t ignore the fact that he scored just two goals in 37 games for the Sabres this year.
Still, giving up just a second and Bjork, who has just two goals of his own this season, is a no-brainer for the Bruins, with their eyes set on postseason contention. If Hall can find any semblance of his past self in Boston he can be a difference-maker on the second line, giving the team some secondary scoring that they’ve been lacking for so long.
Bjork has established himself as an NHL player with good defensive abilities but will turn 25 later this summer and has just 39 points in 138 career regular season games. One important factor here is that he’s under contract through the 2022-23 season at a reasonable $1.6MM, but it’s not like he is going to provide a huge impact for the rebuilding Sabres. In fact, one could argue that Lazar can provide about the same value when healthy and is under contract through next season for just $800K. Moving Bjork at tomorrow’s deadline doesn’t seem out of the question if the Sabres can find an interested party.
The Bruins are also taking on $4MM in cap, which is much higher than some of the other names that have been moved around recently. The fact that they can absorb that hit is why Hall’s price is so low, as they did not need to involve another team, which would have meant giving up another asset. Even without going into long-term injured reserve, the Bruins should have just enough room to fit Hall in after sending Bjork the other way.
At the end of the day, this deal will mean nothing for Boston if Hall can’t find his form. The team has taken swings on high profile wingers before and had them struggle down the stretch, but Hall will certainly be surrounded by more talent in his new locker room. In all likelihood, the 29-year-old winger will get just his third chance at the postseason this year, though it isn’t even a guarantee at this point. Boston is now just four points ahead of the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers for fourth place in the East Division (though they do have two games in hand), meaning Hall will need to start contributing right away if he wants to get another taste of the playoffs.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
PHR Panel: Trade Deadline Predictions
With just 24 hours remaining before the 2021 NHL trade deadline, things are heating up around the league. Several big moves have already been made, with David Savard, Kyle Palmieri, and Brandon Montour all traded to contenders. There’s more coming before 3pm EST tomorrow, with Taylor Hall still drawing plenty of attention among many others.
With the deadline approaching, we thought we’d unearth one of our former features: The PHR Panel. This time it’ll come with a bit of a twist, as instead of answering questions, we’re going to be having some fun. Each of us will give one prediction for a deadline move, and we encouraged each other to go a bit outside the box if necessary. These deals are completely speculative and just done for fun–but make sure you tell us why we’re out of our minds in the comments!
Q: Predict one trade that will happen before the deadline
Brian La Rose: Luke Glendening to EDM
The Edmonton Oilers are known to be looking for a right-shot center that can help kill penalties and win faceoffs. Detroit happens to have one available in Luke Glendening, a player that GM Ken Holland is quite familiar with; he gave the forward the four-year, $7.2MM contract that is set to expire this summer, a clear sign that he was a fan of what the 31-year-old can provide.
Edmonton has been very quietly creating salary cap flexibility with the recent placements of Kyle Turris, Tyler Ennis, and Joakim Nygard on waivers, giving them the ability to send any of them to the taxi squad to free up cap space. If the Red Wings are willing to retain up to 50% on Glendening’s contract, they could acquire him and have Turris go to the taxi squad in a move that would actually free up a bit more room for Edmonton to work with. With the Oilers missing their second and third-round picks this year already, they’re more likely to part with a 2022 selection to do a deal like this.
Is Glendening going to be a secondary scorer which is something that Edmonton also needs? No, but if he can just provide the two elements that he has with Detroit, he will check off a pair of important boxes for the Oilers. Holland showed faith in giving Glendening what was an above-market extension at the time and he’ll show more faith in him by bringing him to Edmonton.
Holger Stolzenberg: Conor Garland to VGK
With Vegas relatively tight up against the salary cap, the Golden Knights now more than ever will be looking for a cheap forward. They are set in net and seem pretty strong defensively. Where they are lacking is on offense—especially in scoring. The team is hopeful for another Stanley Cup run like they had in their inaugural season and while they are 11th in goals/game, they have struggled more recently to score and could really use one more top-six forward. Enter Garland, who would be quite an upgrade and a player the team could hold onto since he’s expected to hit restricted free agency next season. He would be an excellent fit in Vegas after a breakout season in 2018-19 and an even better year last season. His numbers look to be close to on par this year once again. At $775K, he’s the perfect fit.
Normally, the Coyotes would want to hang onto Garland, but the team is known to be struggling financially, has expressed interest in cutting salary, and might be open to moving Garland for the right price. Things are a little more complicated for Arizona as they are still battling for fourth place in the Central Division, which could stop general manager Bill Armstrong from selling. However, could Vegas move its first-rounder (something they ordinarily don’t do) and a top prospect (Lucas Elvenes might make sense here, although there are other solid prospects the team could offer) to pry him away? Stranger things have happened.
Zach Leach: Sam Bennett to COL
What happened to all of the Sam Bennett rumors? Earlier this season, a Bennett trade seemed imminent on multiple occasions and it was a foregone conclusion that he would be traded before the deadline at the latest. Yet, for over a month now there has been nothing but silence out of Calgary on Bennett’s status and there are just hours left until the deadline passes. Are the Flames just too good to be trading roster players? Nope. In fact, the team’s 2-8-0 record in their past ten games is the worst mark in the NHL. Calgary has fallen to fifth place in the North Division and are well outside of a playoff spot. They’re sellers. So has Bennett just played so well that he can’t be traded? No, it’s not that either. Bennett recorded just three points in the month of March and has one goal in his past 19 games. By all accounts, the situation surrounding the Flames and Bennett has not changed, but the hype surrounding a potential deal has cooled nonetheless.
Flames GM Brad Treliving has repeatedly said that he did not want to rush into a Bennett trade. However, that was months ago and nothing has changed. The 24-year-old forward has shown flashes of upside, but it simply hasn’t been a good fit in Calgary. Even with the coaching change to Darryl Sutter, whose style should favor a player like Bennett, there has been little improvement from the 2014 fourth overall pick. Both sides just need to move on. If Bennett remains in Calgary beyond the deadline, he will very likely be exposed in the Expansion Draft and could be lost for nothing to the Seattle Kraken. Even if that doesn’t happen, the Flames may seriously consider not offering the restricted free agent a qualifying offer at his $2.55MM mark. In either scenario, Calgary comes away with nothing. In a trade, they come away with something, even if Bennett’s trade value is at its lowest point. Unless Treliving and company still quietly believe in the long-term potential of Bennett and plan to protect him in expansion and then re-sign him, they need to make this move.
Colorado may not immediately come to mind as a suitor for forward help. Their public pursuit of a backup goalie and rumors that they are eyeing a defenseman as well would seemingly make forward their third-highest priority. However, the Avalanche are one of the very best teams in the NHL this season and a top contender for the Stanley Cup. They also have ample salary cap room, unlike many of the other buyers scouring the market. GM Joe Sakic is going to do his best to check off every single box that he can because that is what you do when you have a real chance at a championship. Bennett makes a lot of sense for what the Avalanche need. As good as their forward corps has been this year, with a dominant top line and good secondary scoring, there is a major drop-off after their top eight forwards. J.T. Compher has had a down year, Tyson Jost has again failed to take a step forward, and Matt Calvert has been all but written out of the lineup. The team needs a boost in the bottom six and Bennett fits the bill, especially since he could be a solution beyond just 2020-21 as well.
While his career offensive profile is similar to Jost’s, Bennett has a slightly better goal-scoring touch and, importantly, has an excellent track record in the playoffs. Yet, offense may not even be Bennett’s most important contribution to Colorado. The Avalanche desperately need to add physicality to their lineup. The team ranks dead last in the NHL with just 15.06 hits per 60 minutes and the biggest threat to their postseason success is the potential of getting pushed around by a bigger, tougher opponent. Enter Bennett. For a player who couldn’t do even one pull-up at the NHL Combine, Bennett has developed into a heavy, aggressive player. His physicality has been the one element of his game that has never wavered and the Avalanche could desperately use a player who can improve their checking game and make them more difficult to play against.
As for the return, the Flames are more likely to land a prospect than a pick if dealing with the Avalanche. Colorado is already missing their 2021 and 2022 second-round picks, as well their 2021 fourth- and sixth-rounders. Bennett is certainly not worthy of a first-round pick, but even asking the Avs for a third-round pick in either of the next two years could be a tall task. Fortunately, Colorado has a solid pipeline, especially down the middle, and Calgary has a long-term need at center. While Alex Newhook and Shane Bowers are not on the table in a Bennett deal, their presence in the system could make a nice piece like Jean-Luc Foudy expendable. The 2020 third-round pick plays with speed and vision and has the makings of an NHL play-maker down the road. He would be a nice project for the Flames with the upside to be the top-nine center that Calgary had hoped Bennett would be. It seems like a fair swap all things considered.
Gavin Lee: Jamie Oleksiak to TOR
I know what you’re thinking, Maple Leafs fans. Oleksiak? That’s it? Don’t be so dismissive of the 6’7″ defenseman just because he’s played in Dallas for most of his career. Toronto may have publicly stated that they need forwards, but adding some defensive depth should also be in the plan for GM Kyle Dubas. After trading Mikko Lehtonen earlier in the season, the team doesn’t have a ton of reliable options to plug in should any of their starters go down.
Martin Marincin currently looks like the team’s seventh defenseman, with Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren behind him. That’s one player who has never been able to secure an NHL job and two young prospects without much experience. Oleksiak would be a perfect complement to the group, able to move into the lineup in case of injury or even perhaps unseat Travis Dermott on the third pairing.
The fact that he’s from Toronto—his younger sister Penny is an Olympic swimmer from the city—and a pending free agent makes him a realistic fit, given the team’s insistence that rentals are the target this season. Toronto has a little bit of added cap flexibility after acquiring the LTIR-bound Riley Nash, and if Dallas (or a go-between) retained some of Oleskiak’s $2.14MM cap hit he wouldn’t cost much more than the league minimum.
This is a unique opportunity for the Maple Leafs to go deep in the playoffs without facing Tampa Bay or Boston. Adding depth is a crucial part of those long runs, and Oleksiak shouldn’t come at a prohibitive cost.
Latest On Vancouver Canucks Return To Play
Sunday: The league announced that as a result of another Canucks player being place on the COVID protocol list, the Vancouver Canucks’ facilities will not re-open Sunday as had been planned. The league announced the facility will not re-open until Monday at the earliest.
While the name of the new player has yet to be revealed, the announcement states the player has not been around the facility since the outbreak began on March 31. Regardless, it was decided that the team should keep their facility closed for at least one extra day. The decision should not impact the Canucks’ return to play on Friday.
Saturday: Pending today’s coronavirus test results, the Vancouver Canucks are scheduled to re-open their practice facilities tomorrow. The league currently expects the team to resume their regular season schedule on Friday, April 16 against the Edmonton Oilers. The Canucks had eight games postponed during their coronavirus outbreak; those games have now been rescheduled, with Vancouver’s season now stretching through May 16, a week after the regular season was originally expected to end.
The league has announced the following changes to the North Division schedule:
- Game #829, Edmonton at Vancouver, scheduled for May 4, is now scheduled for Friday, April 16 at 9 p.m. ET
- Game #567, Calgary at Vancouver, scheduled for March 31, is now scheduled for Wednesday, April 21 at 10 p.m. ET
- Game #792, Vancouver at Toronto, scheduled for April 30, is now scheduled for Thursday, April 29 at 7:30 p.m. ET
- Game #647, Vancouver at Calgary, scheduled for April 10, is now scheduled for Monday, May 3 at 9 p.m. ET
- Game #593, Vancouver at Edmonton, scheduled for April 3, is now scheduled for Tuesday, May 4 at 9 p.m. ET
- Game #662, Vancouver at Edmonton, scheduled for April 12, is now scheduled for Saturday, May 8 at 10 p.m. ET
- Game #720, Ottawa at Calgary, scheduled for April 20, is now scheduled for Sunday, May 9 at 8 p.m. ET
- Game #602, Vancouver at Winnipeg, scheduled for April 4, is now scheduled for Monday, May 10 at 8 p.m. ET
- Game #619, Vancouver at Winnipeg, scheduled for April 6, is now scheduled for Tuesday, May 11 at 8 p.m. ET
- Game #833, Toronto at Ottawa, scheduled for May 10, is now scheduled for Wednesday, May 12 at 7:30 p.m. ET
- Game #673, Vancouver at Edmonton, scheduled for April 14, is now scheduled for Thursday, May 13 at 9 p.m. ET
- Game #864, Calgary at Vancouver, scheduled for May 8, is now scheduled for Saturday, May 15 at TBD
- Game #634, Vancouver at Calgary, scheduled for April 8, is now scheduled for Sunday, May 16 at TBD
The league will not announce definitive dates for the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs until later in the season, and admit that the first round for the East, Central and West could open a few days earlier than the North now that things have been pushed.
Montreal Canadiens Acquire Jon Merrill
The Montreal Canadiens have added a defenseman that can potentially replace the recently-waived Victor Mete, acquiring Jon Merrill from the Detroit Red Wings. The Canadiens will send a 2021 fifth-round pick (OTT) and minor league forward Hayden Verbeek.
While the Canadiens obviously hope Mete clears waivers, they’ll add another depth defenseman to the group in Merrill, who was held out of the lineup by the Red Wings last night as a trade came together. The 29-year-old has played nearly 400 games in his career, and though Merrill isn’t much of an offensive producer, he does add some more size and experience to Montreal’s back end for a playoff run.
A pending unrestricted free agent, Merrill also comes with just a $925K cap hit (which Detroit did not retain any of), making him one of the more affordable options on the defense market. He could potentially be extended by Montreal, but this move is more about the upcoming North Division postseason run than anything else.
The Canadiens certainly looked like they needed some defensive help last night. The Winnipeg Jets picked them apart with a 5-0 victory, pushing Montreal to 17-12-9 on the season and just six points ahead of the Calgary Flames for the last playoff spot. Mete wasn’t even part of that game, watching Otto Leskinen skate just over 16 minutes instead. It’s that sixth spot that Merrill projects to fit into, though the team could still work with a rotation through the bottom pairing to find the right fit.
Adding defensive depth at the deadline is never a mistake, especially when it comes at the low cost of a fifth-round pick. But many will question the move if Mete ends up claimed off waivers. Still, Merrill definitely adds a better defensive presence and it’s clear that Mete isn’t a favorite of the current coaching staff after suiting up just 14 times this season.
In terms of the return, the Red Wings seem happy to collect as many mid-round picks as possible in a rebuilding season, but the deal also comes with a bit of fun. Verbeek is the nephew of former NHL forward Pat Verbeek, who just so happens to be the Red Wings assistant general manager.