Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Zac Dalpe To Two-Year Extension
The Columbus Blue Jackets have locked up one of their depth forwards, inking Zac Dalpe to a two-year, two-way extension. The deal will keep Dalpe in the Blue Jackets organization through the 2020-21 season. The 29-year old forward was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of this season.
Dalpe has become a veteran leader for the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters since coming over from the Minnesota Wild organization in 2017, and has 33 points in 35 games for the minor league squad this season. He’s also been frequently used as injury insurance for the Blue Jackets, who routinely call him up to give them some more center depth on the roster. Unfortunately that insurance policy hasn’t been cashed very often, and Dalpe has played just 13 games for the Blue Jackets so far.
It’s unlikely that Dalpe will play a much bigger role on Columbus going forward, but it does secure one of the Monsters’ top players for at least two more years. The veteran will need to go through waivers before each season however, a process that was responsible for his journey to Columbus in the first place.
Bryan Rust, Chad Ruhwedel Out “Longer Term”
The Pittsburgh Penguins have suffered several injuries of late, and two more names can be added to that list. Bryan Rust and Chad Ruhwedel are both out “longer term” according to head coach Mike Sullivan. Tom Gulitti of NHL.com reports that Ruhwedel left the arena last night with his right arm in a sling, while Rust was on crutches with his left foot in a walking boot.
Pittsburgh went out and added Erik Gudbranson and Chris Wideman at the trade deadline this week to address other injuries on the blue line, but will feel the loss of Rust up front. The hard working forward had been playing an increased role of late and actually ranks third on the team in even-strength goals with 15. He has added two short-handed tallies for a career high of 17 on the year and is an integral part of the Penguins attack. While they obviously still have plenty of firepower with the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jake Guentzel and Phil Kessel leading the way, Rust provided a level of versatility that is lacking elsewhere on the roster.
Losing two more players will hurt the team and it is no guarantee that the Penguins even make the playoffs at this point. With a quarter of the season remaining the team sits in the final wild card spot but just a single point ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets who recently loaded up at the deadline. Philadelphia, Buffalo and Florida are all within ten points and chasing down the Penguins, who themselves are trying to leapfrog the Carolina Hurricanes and Montreal Canadiens in the standings. It will be a fight right to the end in the Eastern Conference, and the Pittsburgh depth will surely be tested now.
Conor Garland Signs Two-Year Extension
Conor Garland has clearly made a good impression on Arizona Coyotes GM John Chayka. The Coyotes today announced a two-year contact extension for Garland that will keep him in Arizona through the 2020-21 season. The contract will carry a $775K average annual value. Chayka released a short statement explaining the deal:
Conor has come onto our team and made an impact through his work ethic and willingness to get to the net and score goals. He’s a great success story for our organization as a later round pick and the development process he went through to get here. We’re thrilled to get him signed long-term.
Garland, 22, has stepped into a role with the Coyotes this season and not looked back, scoring 12 goals through his first 36 NHL games. That may be surprising to some who only know his name from the fifth round of the 2015 draft, but not others that watched him play at the junior level. For his final two years with the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL, Garland was the most dominant offensive player in the country. He finished those two seasons with 257 points in 129 regular season games a pair of scoring titles and a league MVP, but struggled upon his debut in the AHL.
Undersized, Garland had just 14 points as a rookie in the minor leagues in 2016-17 and followed that up with 27 in 55 games last season. That all changed at the beginning of 2018-19 when he got off to a torrid start with the Tucson Roadrunners and earned himself an NHL chance.
The Coyotes need more stories like Garland to compete in the NHL. If the team isn’t able to spend to the cap like some of their rivals, they’ll need their drafting and development systems to find players in the mid to late rounds of the draft and turn them into NHL contributors. If Garland can continue his scoring pace for the next two years they’ll have one of the biggest bargains in the league. Impressively, those 12 goals aren’t being held up by an unrealistic shooting percentage. The young forward is being sheltered considerably by head coach Rick Tocchet, but is responding well with excellent possession statistics and powerplay performance.
For a player who may have been considered an afterthought just a year ago, two years of security is worthwhile even if he proves underpaid by the time the deal ends. Garland will still be a restricted free agent at the end of the extension, as long as he plays in 44 more games during that time and avoids Group VI UFA status.
Minor Transactions: 02/27/19
It’s a quiet night in the NHL with just five games scheduled, but there are sure to be some fireworks regardless. Connor McDavid makes his return from a two-game suspension in his hometown while the Calgary Flames take on a decimated New Jersey Devils lineup. As teams prepare for tonight’s action, we’ll be right here keeping track of all the minor moves.
- The Boston Bruins have recalled Karson Kuhlman and Peter Cehlarik under emergency conditions after Noel Acciari and Patrice Bergeron both missed practice this morning. The team takes on the Tampa Bay Lightning tomorrow night and likely just wanted some extra bodies to serve as insurance. Kuhlman made his NHL debut earlier this month and scored two points in four games with the Bruins.
- Samuel Montembeault has been recalled under emergency conditions by the Florida Panthers after James Reimer suffered an injury last night. The veteran backup left the game against the Arizona Coyotes and did not return, though it’s not clear yet how long his injury will keep him out. Montembeault is carrying a .901 save percentage through 37 games for the Springfield Thunderbirds.
- The Anaheim Ducks have recalled Sam Steel and Jacob Larsson under emergency conditions, though may only get into the lineup if another injury pops up. The team is expected to be without Ryan Getzlaf due to injury. Steel has played 14 games in the NHL this season while Larsson found himself in the lineup 38 times before his demotion.
- Jake Bean and Haydn Fleury have both been recalled by the Carolina Hurricanes under emergency conditions, giving the team two extra defensemen. The Hurricanes don’t play again until Friday, but both Justin Faulk and Calvin de Haan are listed as day-to-day with upper-body injuries.
- Teddy Blueger has been brought back up by the Pittsburgh Penguins under emergency conditions. Blueger only went down on Monday to maintain his AHL eligibility, but will join back with the team for now. The Penguins are dealing with several injuries and could use Blueger up front to help replace Bryan Rust.
- Andrew Cogliano is expected to miss the first game of his career due to injury tomorrow, so the Dallas Stars have recalled Joel L’Esperance from the minor leagues. L’Esperance is still looking for his first point at the NHL level but has 29 goals this season in the AHL.
Adam Helewka, Laurent Dauphin Sign With Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators have signed minor league forward Adam Helewka to a one-year, two-way contract that will cover the 2019-20 season. Helewka is currently playing for the Milwaukee Admirals after being acquired from the Arizona Coyotes organization earlier this month. The team has also announced a one-year, two-way extension for Laurent Dauphin, who also came over from the Coyotes in that trade. Both Helewka and Dauphin will make $700K at the NHL level in 2019-20.
Helewka, 23, was originally selected in the fourth round by the San Jose Sharks in 2015 and has developed into an effective minor league scoring threat. The 6’2″ winger has 38 points in 48 games this season including seven in seven since joining the Admirals. Helewka was scheduled to become a restricted free agent after this season when his entry-level deal expired, but will not have to deal with a long negotiation. He has yet to make his NHL debut.
Dauphin meanwhile has already has 35 NHL games under his belt after making his debut back in the 2015-16 season. The 23-year old center was a second-round pick nearly six years ago, but has spent nearly the entire season in the minor leagues where he has 24 points in 41 games.
Both players are not expected to play large roles on the Predators moving forward, but will provide inexpensive depth options for their minor league club.
Ottawa Senators LeBreton Development Bid In Jeopardy
Yesterday a mediator announced that there would be no extension given to RendezVous LeBreton Group to resolve their dispute and continue work on the proposal to build a new arena closer to downtown Ottawa. RendezVous includes Senators owner Eugene Melnyk and Trinity Development Group founder John Ruddy, who are currently embroiled in a lawsuit. Melnyk filed a $700MM lawsuit against Ruddy in November, who then filed a $1B counterclaim. Today, the National Capital Commission who controls the LeBreton Flats area announced that there will be no settlement in the dispute and will now hold a meeting on March 7th to finalize a new development process.
This is not a guaranteed death sentence for the project, but it certainly makes it more difficult for the Senators to get their long awaited downtown arena. The LeBreton area is much closer to the city center than where the team currently plays, some 30 minutes outside of Ottawa in Kanata, ON. The arena is difficult get to and has routinely been a cause for consternation for fans of the team.
Melnyk released a statement following the announcement:
We are devastated that our dream has been shattered. However, we will not let our vision die or allow our enthusiasm to be diminished by this ill-fated experience. More than ever, we are determined and committed to explore alternative approaches in central locations that could accommodate a world-class hub. We are here for the long term and want a world class venue where Ottawans will live, work, play and enjoy the best the city has to offer. The people of Ottawa deserve this.
It’s been a long, disappointing 18 months for the Senators, who have fallen from the Eastern Conference Finals in 2017 to a bottom feeder in the NHL. The team may very well finish last in the entire league this season and have just traded away their three top scoring forwards. It will be a long way back to the top, and somehow rejuvenating this development bid would be a huge step in the right direction. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen after today’s announcement.
Miles Wood Out Four Weeks With Broken Ankle
The New Jersey Devils issued an update on several injured players today, highlighted by the news that Miles Wood will be out for four weeks with a fractured ankle. The injury will not require surgery. Kyle Palmieri is listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury, Jesper Bratt is day-to-day and Pavel Zacha has resumed skating but is still avoiding contact. Taylor Hall, who hasn’t played since before Christmas, was still not skating today.
It’s not entirely bad news, as the Devils are expected to get Sami Vatanen back in the lineup after missing the last 14 games with a concussion. The team has also recalled both Nick Lappin and Blake Pietila from the minor leagues, though Egor Yakovlev is expected to skate as a forward in tonight’s game.
Snapshots: Ottawa, Edler, Zucker
The Ottawa Senators have been in the headlines continuously for their roster transactions this season, but there are more big picture issues facing the team off the ice. The group that includes Senators owner Eugene Melnyk that is trying to develop the LeBreton Flats area in Ottawa for a new arena is embroiled in a legal dispute that is putting the development contract in jeopardy. The National Capital Commission which controls LeBreton had placed a deadline of this Thursday, February 28th to resolve the dispute and today told Canadian Press reporters that there will be no extension.
If the dispute is not resolved by the deadline the NCC has made it clear it will move on to other proposals regarding the land, meaning the Senators may lose their chance at the prime arena location. The area is much closer to downtown Ottawa and would be a huge boost for the team that currently plays in Kanata, some distance outside the city center.
- Alex Edler has been working with the Vancouver Canucks on an extension, and according to GM Jim Benning did not want to waive his no-trade clause to go anywhere else. Edler has made it clear over the last few weeks and months that he would like to finish his career in Vancouver if possible, and with his relatively strong play this year there’s no reason to think that won’t happen at this point. The 32-year old defenseman has 20 points in 38 games this season and is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after this season.
- The Calgary Flames were apparently interested in acquiring Mark Stone at one point before the deadline, and they also showed interest in Minnesota Wild forward Jason Zucker. Ryan Leslie of Sportsnet even tweeted the team was “in” on Zucker just as the deadline was about to pass, but a deal didn’t materialize. Darren Dreger was on TSN radio today speaking about the situation and said that Flames GM Brad Treliving was “white hot” that the deal didn’t go through for whatever reason. The Flames ended up adding only Oscar Fantenberg on deadline day and will now have to go through the rest of the season without any real forward upgrade.
Poll: Which Team Improved The Most At The Trade Deadline?
The final chapter of the 2018-19 regular season is upon us. The trade deadline has passed and teams will now not receive any external help on their journey for the Stanley Cup. No more “looking for depth forward” or “searching for puck-moving defenseman.” As the day started there were plenty of contenders, but only a handful really went out of their way to improve.
The Islanders for instance, who are currently leading the Metropolitan Division with a record of 36-18-7, have not made a single trade since early July 2018. Instead, GM Lou Lamoriello and head coach Barry Trotz must believe this group can lead them all the way. The same could be said for the Tampa Bay Lightning, who decided not to pay the high prices for rentals and instead put their trust in the exceptional roster they’ve already built.
But that’s not to say there weren’t winners yesterday. The Nashville Predators turned Kevin Fiala and Ryan Hartman into Mikael Granlund and Wayne Simmonds, betting experience is more useful to them than youth right now. The Winnipeg Jets once again added a second line center to their group in addition to several more minor moves, while the Vegas Golden Knights landed the top name available.
Some teams did their shopping in the days leading up to the actual deadline. The Columbus Blue Jackets didn’t wait around for a last second bidding war, instead acquiring Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel early. Gustav Nyquist found himself on his way to the San Jose Sharks late Sunday night to join in their search for the Cup.
So who was the biggest winner? Who improved their team the most, if we take the last week into account? Cast your vote below and explain why in the comments.
Which team improved the most at the 2019 trade deadline?
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Columbus Blue Jackets (Duchene, Dzingel, McQuaid) 44% (812)
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Nashville Predators (Granlund, Simmonds) 19% (351)
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Vegas Golden Knights (Stone) 11% (206)
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Winnipeg Jets (Hayes, Beaulieu, Kiselevich) 6% (112)
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Boston Bruins (Johansson, Coyle) 5% (92)
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Other 4% (70)
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San Jose Sharks (Nyquist) 3% (63)
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Washington Capitals (Hagelin, Jensen) 3% (50)
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Pittsburgh Penguins (Gudbranson, Wideman) 2% (46)
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Buffalo Sabres (Montour) 2% (33)
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Dallas Stars (Zuccarello, Lovejoy) 1% (14)
Total votes: 1,849
[Mobile users click here to vote]
Florida Panthers Tried To Acquire Mark Stone
The Florida Panthers have cleared a large amount of cap room this season by trading away players like Nick Bjugstad and Jared McCann, and many have speculated that they’ll use it in free agency on targets like Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky. While that may be true, it didn’t stop the team from going after another big fish at the trade deadline. Head coach Dale Tallon tells George Richards of The Athletic (subscription required) that the team made a “good offer” to the Ottawa Senators to try and get Mark Stone before the talented winger eventually went to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Stone is expected to sign a long-term extension with the Golden Knights, something Richards believes the Panthers were also willing to do if they could acquire the 26-year old. It makes sense, given the cap room that Florida has and already exceptional talent up front to surround Stone with. Interestingly though the team already has Mike Hoffman in the fold, who was unceremoniously ushered out of Ottawa after a very public feud with former Senators captain Erik Karlsson. It’s obviously not clear where Hoffman and Stone stand, but it didn’t stop the team from trying to acquire the latter.
Tallon admits that the team will be “very aggressive” at the end of the season, using their draft capital and cap space to improve the team. With a forward core already consisting of Hoffman, Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, Vincent Trocheck and Evgeni Dadonov the team has some real scoring punch. Adding a player like Stone or Panarin would make them even more dangerous, and with somewhere around $22MM in cap space (depending on where the ceiling lands) they have the room to do it and other things. The Panthers also own nine picks in the upcoming draft and could flip those for some more help.
At the very least, the fact that the Panthers were going hard to try and land a player of Stone’s caliber should be encouraging to the fan base. While this season hasn’t gone as hoped, there should be real excitement for an offseason that should be filled with fireworks.