PHR Live Chat Transcript: 02/06/20
Click here to read a transcript of this week’s live chat with PHR’s Gavin Lee.
Brent Seabrook Undergoes Third Surgery
The Chicago Blackhawks announced today that Brent Seabrook has undergone successful surgery on his right hip. That’s the third surgery he has had over the last two months, following left hip surgery in January and right shoulder surgery in December. The team expects Seabrook to be ready to return to action in five to six months. If that timeline proves accurate, the veteran defenseman would be ready for the start of the 2020-21 season.
Seabrook, 34, is often referenced as one of the worst contracts in the league thanks to his declining play over the last several years. Once a rock solid two-way defender for the Blackhawks, he was a huge part of all three Stanley Cup championships and received Norris Trophy votes on three separate occasions. Unfortunately, things have not gone so well lately, though there’s no way to tell how much these injuries had affected him. Seabrook had played in at least 78 games of every full-length season (and 47 in the lockout-shortened one) since his rookie campaign.
His contract still has four years remaining at a $6.875MM cap hit, and still includes a full no-movement clause for the next two. Hopefully Seabrook can regain some of his former success, but otherwise there are few ways out of his deal for the Blackhawks. Obviously, if he isn’t able to return to full fitness the team could place him on long-term injured reserve, though from all appearances the veteran wants to continue his career.
Tomas Hertl Out For Season With Knee Injury
Feb 6: Hertl underwent surgery on Monday and is now starting a long recovery process. He is expected to be ready for next season’s training camp.
Jan 30: Everything has gone completely wrong for the San Jose Sharks this year. Tomas Hertl has suffered a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee and is out for the rest of the season. Hertl was injured on a play that seemed relatively harmless as he and Chris Tanev of the Vancouver Canucks slowly slid into the end boards.
Unfortunately, Hertl’s season comes to an end just a few days after participating in the first All-Star game of his career. The 26-year old forward was named a replacement for teammate Logan Couture who is dealing with a broken ankle, but put on a show in the breakaway challenge, accuracy shooting and 3-on-3 main event.
With 16 goals and 36 points through his first 48 games, Hertl has once again shown that he can be a top-line presence even if the Sharks haven’t been able to win many games this season. He scored 35 goals last year for the Sharks in the first season of a four-year, $22.5MM deal he signed in 2018. The contract seemed to be quite the bargain at this point, but he’ll now have to battle just to be ready for the start of next season.
San Jose now sits with a 22-26-4 record after losing to the Canucks last night and are 26th in league goal scoring. Without Hertl, one of their most dangerous offensive weapons, they will be hard pressed to change that record.
Mark Giordano Listed As “Week-To-Week”
The Calgary Flames have dodged a huge bullet. Mark Giordano, who awkwardly fell earlier this week when attempting a one-timer and suffered a lower-body injury, will not need surgery. The veteran defenseman has still been placed on injured reserve and is listed as “week-to-week” according to Jermain Franklin of TSN. Since it is not clear how long Giordano will be out, Brandon Davidson has been recalled from the minor leagues.
The reigning Norris Trophy winner as the NHL’s best defenseman, Giordano wasn’t lighting up the scoresheet quite as often this season but was still a rock for the Flames every night. The 36-year old is the team’s unquestioned leader and was averaging more than 24 minutes a night until he was forced from Tuesday’s game early. His 27 points (while a far reach from the 74 he recorded in 2018-19) still lead the Calgary defense corps through 54 games and he was one of the few players with a positive +/- rating.
No matter how you slice it, losing Giordano is a huge blow to the Flames for the next few weeks. There had been various rumors emerge throughout the season about the availability of T.J. Brodie and Travis Hamonic, but those may quiet down as they deal with this loss.
Minor Transactions: 02/06/20
After the Toronto Maple Leafs and Los Angeles Kings completes a late-night trade yesterday, eyes are now peeled for the next move around the NHL. With 12 games on the schedule for this evening there will be plenty of minor moves as teams prepare, and we’ll keep track of them right here.
- The Kings have recalled Cal Petersen after moving Jack Campbell to Toronto, giving them a second goaltender for the remainder of the season. Petersen should get a look down the stretch to find out if they really have a potential starter, as Jonathan Quick has struggled mightily this season.
- Similarly, the Maple Leafs have demoted Kasimir Kaskisuo after acquiring Campbell. The trade gave Toronto 24 men on the roster and reassigning the now third-string goalie was the obvious solution to get them back down to 23.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled Matiss Kivlenieks, Andrew Peeke and Kevin Stenlund, the former two returning after just one day in the minor leagues. The Blue Jackets will take on the Detroit Red Wings tomorrow night and are still dealing with various injuries.
- Sebastian Aho is headed back to the New York Islanders, recalled once again. The young defenseman has been up and down all season, but still hasn’t worked his way into the NHL lineup.
- Andy Andreoff has been recalled by the Philadelphia Flyers, as they prepare for a divisional matchup against the New Jersey Devils tonight. Andreoff has played in 13 games for Philadelphia this season, but has just one assist.
- The Minnesota Wild have recalled Matt Bartkowski to the NHL while Carson Soucy deals with an illness. The Wild are facing the Vancouver Canucks this evening.
- Robbie Russo is up with the Arizona Coyotes as Jason Demers deals with another injury. Demers has been placed on injured reserve, meaning he’ll miss at least a little bit of time.
Shea Weber Placed On Injured Reserve
In what has been a terribly frustrating season for the Montreal Canadiens, this may be the breaking point. Shea Weber has been moved to injured reserve with a lower-body injury, according to several reports including Eric Engels of Sportsnet. The star defenseman will be out at least a week, but the Canadiens have not determined the exact extent of the injury. With several other injuries piling up—including Jordan Weal, Tomas Tatar, Ryan Poehling and Jonathan Drouin who may all miss tonight’s game—the team has recalled Xavier Ouellet and Jake Evans from the minor leagues.
Weber has been a shining light in an otherwise dreary season for the Canadiens, who currently have a 25-23-7 record despite going 7-3 in their last ten. The 34-year old defenseman has turned back the clock and has 13 goals and 34 points through 55 games, undoubtedly serving as the team’s leader both on and off the ice.
It’s not like Weber hasn’t been great for Montreal in the past, but injuries have stolen the last two seasons and now threaten this year as well. Since coming to the Canadiens in 2016-17, Weber has played just 217 of a possible 301 games.
Even with their recent encouraging play, it seems as though this is a cursed season. You can bet Weber’s absence will only amplify the rumors already swirling around players like Tatar and Jeff Petry as the trade deadline approaches.
Toronto Maple Leafs Acquire Jack Campbell, Kyle Clifford
The Toronto Maple Leafs will not wait any longer for an upgrade in net. After falling to the New York Rangers tonight, the team has acquired Jack Campbell and Kyle Clifford from the Los Angeles Kings. In return, the Kings will receive depth forward Trevor Moore, a third-round pick in 2020 (CBJ) and a conditional third-round pick in 2021. That pick will become a second if the team re-signs Clifford or the Maple Leafs make the playoffs and Campbell wins six regular season games. The Kings will also retain 50% of Clifford’s remaining salary.
Toronto had been struggling all season to find a reliable backup goaltender and with Frederik Andersen‘s recent injury, were forced to play Michael Hutchinson again this evening. After four goals against—including one laughable mishap where Hutchinson fell down and lost his stick—Maple Leafs’ GM Kyle Dubas had apparently seen enough. It comes as little surprise that Campbell would be a target of Dubas, who once traded for the goaltender while still running the OHL’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.
Campbell, 28, comes to Toronto after quite the journey. The 11th overall pick in 2010, the big goaltender had shown plenty of promise as part of the U.S. National Team Development Program. Unfortunately that success didn’t really carry over to the CHL or AHL ranks, and he struggled to even make it up the Dallas Stars’ depth chart. By 2015-16 he was splitting time between the AHL and ECHL, looking like a failed draft pick.
In came the Kings and goaltending coach Bill Ranford, who turned Campbell from a failed prospect to a part-time starter last season. Now through 58 career NHL games, he carries a .916 save percentage and a lot of hope for Maple Leafs’ fans.
Not to be forgotten in the deal is Clifford, who will cost just what remains of $800K for Toronto down the stretch. That essentially makes him the same price as Moore, though he comes with some very obvious stylistic differences. Clifford is an extremely physical forward who is willing to stand up for his teammates and punish defenders as they go back for the puck. A lack of physicality has been a critique of the Maple Leafs for some time, though we’ll have to wait and see if he can bring that on a regular basis.
For the Kings, Moore represents another potential forward piece for their rebuild. The 24-year old was signed out of the University of Denver in 2016 and produced very well at the minor league level, but was limited to mostly fourth line duties in Toronto. He has 13 points through 52 career games, but brings a ton of speed to a lineup that has been looking for it. Not only will Moore likely get a bigger opportunity in Los Angeles, but the Thousand Oaks, California native will be a lot closer to home.
Trade Deadline Primer: Detroit Red Wings
With the trade deadline now less than a month away, we will be taking a closer look at the situation for each team over the coming weeks. Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs? Next up is a look at the Detroit Red Wings.
If one didn’t know any better (and one doesn’t), it might look like Steve Yzerman and the Detroit Red Wings are actually trying to lose as many games as possible this season. The club is on pace to record the third worst season in franchise history, only ahead of the 1985-86 and 1976-77 teams that both finished with fewer than 20 wins. Even amid that chaos and defeat, the team has acquired a few young pieces that could be used as building blocks or perhaps trade bait in the coming months.
Record
12-38-4, 8th in the Atlantic Division
Deadline Status
Seller
Deadline Cap Space
$9.49MM in a full-season cap hit (using LTIR), 0/3 used salary cap retention slots, 47/50 contracts per CapFriendly
Upcoming Draft Picks
2020: DET 1st, DET 2nd, WSH 2nd, DET 3rd, SJS 3rd, DET 5th, DET 6th, DET 7th
2021: DET 1st, DET 2nd, DET 3rd, VGK 3rd, DET 4th, DET 5th, DET 6th, DET 7th
Trade Chips
When you’re having this kind of disastrous season, it’s hard to find a lot of trade bait on the roster. Even players who may otherwise have held some like Mike Green, Luke Glendening and Patrik Nemeth have had brutal years, making it hard to argue they would be an upgrade for a contender even as depth options.
The Red Wings do have some interesting names to keep an eye on though, and they may not be who you expect. Because the team is at the very beginning of a rebuild and will need several years of growth before they are considered playoff contenders, players entering their mid-twenties with expiring contracts may become trade bait. Adam Erne, Taro Hirose, Robby Fabbri, Brendan Perlini and Madison Bowey are all scheduled to become restricted free agents this summer and have held relatively high levels of potential in the past. Perhaps Yzerman can cash in one of these names for a draft pick or two, given it seems unlikely that they’re all back in similar roles next season.
There are a trio of other names that obviously draw the eye when looking at the Detroit roster however. Anthony Mantha, Tyler Bertuzzi and Andreas Athanasiou have all shown they can perform at a very high level in the NHL and will all need new deals this summer. For the first two, extensions (long-term or short) seem in order. Mantha and Bertuzzi have both played well enough this season to continue on the path with Detroit, unless something really catches Yzerman’s fancy while he’s talking to other front offices.
That leaves Athanasiou however, who has still scored just five goals this season after recording 30 in 2018-19. The blazing fast winger has dealt with injuries but is now back playing for the Red Wings and could be seen as a legitimate buy-low candidate for some other teams. His speed can be game changing, but it hasn’t been used enough this year.
One other position to mention is goaltender, where the Red Wings have two veterans that could be of use. Jimmy Howard is approaching his 36th birthday and has struggled this year, but has plenty of postseason experience. Jonathan Bernier on the other hand is younger and has played well enough, but is still signed for another season at $3MM.
Five Players To Watch For: F Andreas Athanasiou, D Trevor Daley, F Luke Glendening, F Robby Fabbri, G Jonathan Bernier
Team Needs
1) Draft Picks: You can bet that Yzerman doesn’t want to remain at the bottom of the standings for very long, but if his tenure in Tampa Bay taught us anything it is that he wants a fully-stocked system. The Lightning constantly drafted and developed young talent from within, routinely calling up players that had dominated the minor leagues only to see them make an impact in the NHL right away. The Red Wings need to amass as many picks as possible for Yzerman to create that kind of pipeline, and this deadline should help get him a few more.
2) Young Defense: There are defensemen coming, but it’s hard to say which ones will be able to handle the NHL load at this point and which ones will be complementary pieces. Adding prospects or minor league players on the back end is a must at this point—even if Mortiz Seider does look like he might be Yzerman’s new version of Victor Hedman.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Latest On Ilya Kovalchuk
It wasn’t much of a gamble when the Montreal Canadiens signed Ilya Kovalchuk after his contract termination with the Los Angeles Kings. After all, they only handed him a one-year, two-way $700K contract—the absolute minimum he could accept. That gamble has paid off quite a bit though as the veteran sniper immediately gave the Canadiens another weapon up front, to the point where some are now wondering whether they could flip him at the deadline for something of real value.
While value is relative, Kovalchuk may still not be able to land the Canadiens a premium asset. Frank Seravalli of TSN spoke to several executives around the NHL who believe the team will be able to get a third- or fourth-round pick, but not a second. Even a fourth would make the signing worth it, but you have to wonder how high that return could climb if Kovalchuk continues to produce at his current level.
In 13 games with the Canadiens, the 36-year old forward has five goals and ten points while logging more than 19 minutes a night. His possession statistics have been excellent and he is even a +5, the first positive rating he would have in the NHL since his return.
If Kovalchuk seriously wants a shot at the Stanley Cup he may prefer going somewhere at the deadline, but his performance in Montreal also opens up some interesting questions about next season. After flaming out in Los Angeles it was hard to see him having much of a future in the NHL at all, but after proving he can still play a role—even a sheltered one—there will be plenty of Kovalchuk talk to come.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Snapshots: Kings, Ryan, Giordano
The Los Angeles Kings are a team to watch as the trade deadline approaches, and they took up a pair of notes in Elliotte Friedman’s latest 31 Thoughts column. The Sportsnet scribe writes that even though Kings’ head coach Todd McLellan wanted to re-sign Tyler Toffoli, the forward will “more likely than not” be traded in the next few weeks. The Boston Bruins, Calgary Flames and Philadelphia Flyers are all linked to Toffoli, who has turned around his season and has 17 points in his last 23 games.
Another player to watch according to Friedman is Alec Martinez, who is linked to the Nashville Predators, Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights in the piece. It’s clear the Kings are looking to rebuild their squad after struggling in consecutive seasons.
- Bobby Ryan returned to the ice at Ottawa Senators practice today for the first time since taking an indefinite leave of absence to enter the player assistance program in late November. Head coach D.J. Smith told reporters that Ryan is still “a ways away” from returning to the lineup, but expressed his support for the veteran forward and explained how the rest of the team welcomed him back.
- Mark Giordano is undergoing an MRI this afternoon after suffering an unfortunate injury on Tuesday night. The Calgary Flames captain fell as he shot a puck and seemed to injure his leg, but it is not clear how long he will be out for until the results come back. Eric Francis of Sportsnet examined the situation and the options the Flames have if Giordano does miss a significant stretch of time.