Sonny Milano Could Be Used As Trade “Sweetener”
All eyes are on a handful of teams as the trade deadline approaches. If a front office isn’t calling the Ottawa Senators about Matt Duchene, there’s a good chance they’re on the phone with the Columbus Blue Jackets given the uncertain futures of Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky. The pair of pending unrestricted free agents are almost certainly going to market in the summer if the Blue Jackets keep them through the end of the season, meaning they have to see what is available for them in trade before making a final decision. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription required) breaks down the entire Blue Jackets trade deadline situation including the most likely trade pieces if the team decides to go out and add a player for a potential playoff run—Duchene being the most recently linked option.
Of those potential trade pieces, Sonny Milano stands out as an interesting option. Portzline lists the 2014 first-round pick as a potential “sweetener” in any deal, explaining that it appears as though Milano no longer “factors into their plans.” If that’s true, and Milano is available as a sort of throw-in there will no doubt be teams interested.
Selected 16th overall in 2014, Milano had been part of an outstanding US National Development Team alongside players like Jack Eichel, Alex Tuch and Dylan Larkin (and even younger stars like Auston Matthews, Noah Hanifin and Zach Werenski for a time). The 17-year old Milano trailed in scoring only to Eichel, and would end up selected just between Larkin (15th overall) and Tuch (18th) in June’s draft. A jump to the OHL was a successful one, and Milano then transitioned to the minor leagues with immediate results.
Unfortunately, that success hasn’t quite translated to the NHL level. Through 70 games over four seasons, Milano has recorded 24 points but struggled to impact the game in various ways or consistently crack the Blue Jackets’ top-six. He’s played just eight games with the big club this season, instead spending most of the year with the Cleveland Monsters where he has 21 points in 24 games. Portzline writes that it was notable when Columbus did not recall the young forward when Nick Foligno was unavailable for a week last month.
For any acquiring team, there is also the issue of Milano’s pending free agency. The 22-year old will be a restricted free agent this summer but luckily is still not eligible for salary arbitration.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Minor Transactions: 02/18/19
The NHL is back with six games tonight including a inter-conference matchup between the Boston Bruins and San Jose Sharks. Both teams are in the hunt for second place in the league—though still well behind the leading Tampa Bay Lightning—and are trying to secure home ice advantage in the playoffs. Boston especially has been playing well, unbeaten in regulation through their previous ten games. As teams prepare for action, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves around the league.
- Though the transaction appears to have technically happened this weekend, Ryan Spooner is now listed on the Vancouver Canucks roster and will report to the NHL club. The forward was acquired on Saturday from the Edmonton Oilers organization where he had been playing in the minor leagues. Spooner will try to show that he can still compete at the highest level and find a fit in Vancouver’s top nine.
- Christian Dvorak has been officially added to the Tucson Roadrunners roster in order to begin his conditioning loan. The young forward has been out all season with injury but is attempting a late-season return to the Arizona Coyotes lineup. He’ll have to prove his health at the minor league level first while getting in some game action.
- Meanwhile Steven Kampfer‘s conditioning loan has come to an end after the Bruins recalled the defenseman today. Kampfer has played in just 25 games with the Bruins this year and none since before Christmas.
- Dylan Gambrell has been sent back to the minor leagues by the San Jose Sharks, something they often do between games to save a bit of cap space. The 22-year old has played just six games with the Sharks this season, and is still looking for his first NHL point.
- The Minnesota Wild have send Kyle Rau down to the AHL, assigning him to the Iowa Wild for the time being. Rau played in six games on his recent recall, recording one point. The 26-year old forward is a big part of Iowa’s offensive attack, sitting third on the team in scoring with 30 points in 45 games. The team announced that veteran center Cal O’Reilly has been recalld to take his place.
Jaromir Jagr To Make Season Debut In Czech Republic
Fans heading to see Kladno take on Havirov in the Czech Republic are going to get a treat, as Jaromir Jagr will be back in the lineup for the first time in almost a year. Jagr will skate on Kladno’s first line alongside Tomas Plekanec, who returned home after seeing his contract terminated by the Montreal Canadiens earlier this year.
Jagr, 47, owns the Kladno club and has maintained a desire to continue his playing career even into his late forties. The legendary NHL winger couldn’t find much of a fit with the Calgary Flames last season after struggling with injury, and ended up being loaned back to Kladno to finish out the year. With that loan he failed to reach some of the performance bonuses in the one-year pact with Calgary, but there’s little reason to worry about his financial situation after a long and prosperous NHL career.
In 1,733 regular season games Jagr recorded 1,921 points, good for second all-time behind only Wayne Gretzky. His 766 goals puts him third all-time, and he won nearly every individual and team trophy available during his long career. A two-time Stanley Cup champion, and member of the triple gold club (which includes gold medals at the Olympics and World Championships), Jagr also took home five Art Ross trophies, three Ted Lindsay (then called Lester B. Pearson) Awards, and a Hart Trophy as the league’s MVP. There seems to be just one thing left on the accomplishment list for Jagr, and that’s getting Kladno back into the top Czech league after they suffered relegation a few years ago.
Snapshots: Oilers, Duchene, Skinner
The Edmonton Oilers are six points out of a playoff spot. They’re also just two points out of last place in the Western Conference and just 3-5-2 in their last ten games. Despite that, interim GM Keith Gretzky is still hoping his team can be buyers at the trade deadline. Gretzky spoke on several topics with Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic (subscription required) including his hope for the playoffs this season.
The team has six games remaining before the trade deadline and will have to go on quite a run to really prove that they are contenders in the Western Conference. While you can’t rule anything out when a team has Connor McDavid driving the charge, it’s tough to imagine the Oilers competing with the top contenders in the NHL.
- Matt Duchene‘s agent spoke with Ottawa Senators GM Pierre Dorion again today according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet, but still nothing is decided on whether the pending free agent will re-sign or not. Duchene’s decision is likely holding up the entire trade market, given he would likely become the most desirable center available if he chooses to be dealt. The Senators would love to keep their prized forward, but Duchene has to decide whether he wants to go through another rebuild. Even their owner doesn’t believe the team will be competitive until 2021.
- Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic was on TSN radio recently and wanted to remind people that Jeff Skinner likely won’t be traded away from the Buffalo Sabres, but not necessarily because of an extension. Skinner has a full no-movement clause that came with him even though he waived it to come to Buffalo in the first place. As CapFriendly pointed out today on Twitter, players normally keep the clause even if they waive it for a single trade.
Evgeni Malkin Receives One-Game Suspension
Though he didn’t think any supplementary discipline was warranted, Evgeni Malkin has been suspended one game for his high stick last night. The Pittsburgh Penguins forward struck Michael Raffl in the head. As the accompanying video from the Department of Player Safety explains:
It is important to note that while we understand Malkin’s contention that his stick only made glancing contact with Raffl, this does not excuse his actions. In fact, NHL stick fouls do not require that contact actually be made for discipline to be assessed. Under rule 60.4, a match penalty for high-sticking is to be assessed ‘when in the opinion of the referee, a player attempts to or deliberately injures an opponent while carrying or holding any part of his stick above the shoulders of the opponent.’
We agree with the on-ice officials that assessed the match penalty. This is not a reckless play where a spinning player loses some amount of control over his stick. This is an intentional stick swing directed at an opponent with force, at a dangerous height and for the purposes of retaliation.
Malkin has a history of fines in his career and has been involved in several dangerous incidents, but has never served a suspension before. That likely was taken into account in determining the length of this ban, along with the fact that he made only glancing contact.
The Penguins face the Edmonton Oilers tomorrow night and will be without one of their superstars, though he should be back for their matchup with the Calgary Flames on Saturday night. Malkin is not expected to appeal the suspension.
New York Rangers, Kevin Hayes Still Not Holding Extension Talks
If you had to place a bet in July on whether Kevin Hayes would be with the New York Rangers for the entire 2018-19 season, it was a gimme—he wouldn’t. The big center had just signed a one-year deal that would take him to unrestricted free agency and the Rangers were not expected to compete for the playoffs. Still, as the season began and some of the Rangers young players stepped up and surprised with their polished talent, some wondered whether the team would look to keep some of their pending free agents and turn a rebuild into a quicker retool.
Hayes, for his part even expressed how much he wanted to stay with the organization despite suggesting things were out of his control. It so happens that things are out of his control because there aren’t even talks happening between the forward and the Rangers front office, as Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports. The two sides haven’t had any discussion of late on an extension, leading to Brooks’ anticipation that a trade will happen. The scribe even goes as far as to suggest that the Rangers will soon pull Hayes—and fellow trade target Mats Zuccarello—out of the lineup soon to avoid injury.
If Hayes is to be traded, one of his most likely suitors will get an up close viewing tonight. The Rangers will play the Winnipeg Jets tonight, a team that has been looking to add a second-line center since losing Paul Stastny to free agency in the summer. Hayes would seem to be a perfect fit for the Jets, though he doesn’t come with the same level of playoff experience Stastny brought last season.
They certainly won’t be the only team checking in on Hayes’ availability. The Boston Bruins, who lost top scorer David Pastrnak for the foreseeable future and have struggled to create secondary scoring all season are a good bet to be interested in the Rangers center. Hayes of course is from Massachusetts and attended Boston College, an added bonus in terms of fit and comfort.
Boston, Winnipeg and all of the other teams that have interest could very well have to wait though, as the Rangers are seemingly letting things play out with some of the other big names before selling off their assets. Matt Duchene especially could be holding up Hayes’ market given their shared position, while Mark Stone and Artemi Panarin are the biggest fish available.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Olli Maatta Out Indefinitely With Upper-Body Injury
The Pittsburgh Penguins have lost one of their defensemen for the time being, as Olli Maatta has been placed on injured reserve. The team announced that Maatta will be out indefinitely following an upper-body injury suffered last night.
Pittsburgh was just about to experience their full defensive corps given Justin Schultz‘ imminent return from injury, but will now have to deal with another glaring hole on the back end. Maatta, for all the flaws that have been pointed out in his game over the years—mostly regarding his skating ability—has been an effective defensive zone and short-handed option for the Penguins all season. Schultz doesn’t fill that specific role, so the team will need to lean even more heavily on the likes of Brian Dumoulin and Jack Johnson.
The injury, which appears to be to Maatta’s shoulder, will hopefully not keep the 24-year old out of the playoffs where he has performed admirably over the years. During the team’s 2017 Stanley Cup run, Maatta logged nearly 21 minutes a night in the absence of Kris Letang. Even last season Maatta was a reliable playoff option on the blue line, easily leading the defense corps with a +8 rating in 12 games.
If he is facing a long-term recovery, it will be interesting to see if the Penguins go out and add another name to their group for the stretch run. They traded away Jamie Oleksiak earlier this season despite his positive contributions, and don’t have an obvious option in the minor leagues should anyone else suffer an injury. Losing Maatta doesn’t cripple the Penguins, but it is certainly a damaging blow.
Vancouver Canucks Acquire Marek Mazanec
The Vancouver Canucks needed a goaltender, and they needed one now. Instead of waiting for a chance to reclaim someone like Mike McKenna, the team has traded for New York Rangers netminder Marek Mazanec. The Canucks will send a 2020 seventh-round pick to the Rangers.
Vancouver had been using junior goaltender Michael DiPietro as their backup recently, and even gave the 19-year old a start yesterday. It didn’t go well as DiPietro allowed seven goals on 24 shots against the Western Conference-leading San Jose Sharks. Keeping their prized young goaltender in the NHL to sit on the bench or get shelled by competition he’s never seen before just isn’t a good development strategy, meaning the Canucks needed to add another body of some sort.
Mazanec will become that body, as he too doesn’t bring a ton of NHL experience to the table. The 27-year old has played 31 games in the league but 25 of those appearances came back in 2013-14 with the Nashville Predators. After heading overseas for a short period last season, Mazanec returned and has a .903 save percentage in 20 games for the Hartford Wolf Pack. There’s little reason to believe that he will be a long-term solution in Vancouver, but at this point the team will take what they can get.
Vancouver has also recalled Adam Gaudette from the minor leagues, giving them a full 23-man roster as they prepare for a road trip through California.
Montreal Places Michael Chaput On Waivers
As expected, the Montreal Canadiens have placed forward Michael Chaput on waivers. The team needed to make a move after recalling Dale Weise and trading for Nate Thompson yesterday, and Chaput was the obvious waiver candidate.
The Canadiens have shown a willingness to expose depth forwards to waivers this year, already losing Nikita Scherbak, Jacob de La Rose and just yesterday Kenny Agostino. The team clearly believes it has the depth to handle these losses given their recent additions, and have now risked another player. Chaput, 26, has actually played 137 games in the NHL during a winding career, 32 of those coming this season with the Canadiens. Originally a third-round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers, Chaput has just five points in 2018-19.
Since Montreal used the non-roster designation on Chaput yesterday in order to get under the 23-man threshold, he must immediately be assigned to the minor leagues if he clears tomorrow. If that does happen, he very well could be back up with the team in a few weeks after the roster limits are relaxed.
David Pastrnak Undergoes Thumb Surgery
The Boston Bruins are going to be without their most potent offensive weapon for a little while, as today the team announced David Pastrnak has undergone successful thumb surgery. He will be re-evaluated after two weeks, but the team is confident he will return to play this season. The injury occurred when Pastrnak fell at a team function.
This is about the worst news Bruins fans could hear with just a few weeks left before the trade deadline and the team fighting for position in the Atlantic Division. Pastrnak is a dominant offensive player and is averaging more ice time than any Bruins forward not named Brad Marchand. Boston’s secondary scoring issues will now be put under the microscope, as even before the injury the Bruins had been criticized for being a one-line team.
In fact, Boston has just four forwards with even 20 points on the season. Names like Jake Debrusk (19 points), Danton Heinen (16) and Sean Kuraly (14) have been dreadfully disappointing in the offensive zone, but will now have to step up and carry some of the load that had been on Pastrnak. The Bruins are currently sitting just one point behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for second place in the Atlantic Division, but also have the Montreal Canadiens hot on their tail. A slump, even a short one, could certainly see the Bruins fall to fourth in the division.
It’s that tenuous playoff position that makes this injury all the more interesting, given that Boston was already expected to add at the trade deadline. While GM Don Sweeney told reporters that it won’t change his strategy heading into the deadline, it’s hard to imagine it won’t at least have some effect. Losing Pastrnak even for just a few weeks may highlight some of the weaknesses on the roster and force Sweeney to make a move to give his club a chance.