Kailer Yamamoto, Ryan Spooner Sent To AHL
The Edmonton Oilers have made a change in the front office, and have also sent a pair of forwards to the minor leagues. Both Kailer Yamamoto and Ryan Spooner have been assigned to the AHL today. The Oilers don’t play again until February 2nd, meaning this could simply be a cost-saving move, though CEO Bob Nicholson indicated in his press conference today that the team wants Yamamoto playing big minutes in the minor leagues in order to continue his development and “over-ripen” before returning to the NHL.
Yamamoto, 20, hasn’t even had much time to prove himself at all in the minor leagues yet. After spending nine games—over a full month—with the Oilers last season, he returned to the Spokane Chiefs for the rest of 2017-18 where he continued his dominance of the junior circuit. This season has been split up between the two professional leagues, playing 17 games with the Oilers and just 11 with the Bakersfield Condors. That’s an unusual development path for a 22nd-overall pick who are usually sent back to the junior level immediately before spending at least one full season in the minor leagues. The faith the Oilers have shown in him is unquestioned, but they now must do the best thing for his development instead of just their NHL club.
Spooner’s case is much different. The 26-year old forward was acquired by the Oilers in exchange for Ryan Strome earlier this season, but couldn’t find any sort of fit under Ken Hitchcock’s system. In 25 games with Edmonton Spooner has just three points, a far cry from his days as a 40+ point player in Boston and New York. Spooner’s contract still has another year on it at a $3.1MM cap hit, meaning more than $2MM will remain on the Oilers books even with him in the minors. It seems likely that the team will look to move him for some sort of a return if he’s not going to play for them moving forward.
Minor Transactions: 01/23/19
Six games will finish up the unofficial first half of the season before teams break for the All-Star game in San Jose this weekend. Among those six is a must-see matchup between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Nashville Predators, two teams battling for position in the Western Conference. It’s never a love affair when these clubs get together, and with a little extra time off after the game you can bet every player will leave it all on the ice tonight.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs have recalled Trevor Moore under emergency conditions and will insert him into the lineup tonight over Andreas Johnsson. Johnsson suffered a concussion recently and will take the break to try and recover.
- Christian Wolanin and Rudolfs Balcers have been returned to the minor leagues by the Ottawa Senators in order for them to continue playing over the break. It will also save the Senators some money given they’re on two-way contracts.
- Similarly, the Calgary Flames have returned Juuso Valimaki and Andrew Mangiapane to the Stockton Heat for at least a few days, giving the young players a chance to stay fresh.
- The San Jose Sharks have done the same by sending Dylan Gambrell and Jacob Middleton back to the minors, neither of whom are seeing much time in the NHL anyway.
- The Colorado Avalanche have one more game tonight and have recalled Ryan Graves for it, sending Anton Linholm back down. Graves has impressed during his short stint with the Avalanche and may get a longer look in the second half of the season.
- Marek Mazanec is on his way back to the minor leagues while Dustin Tokarski has been recalled. This was done in order to have both Mazanec and Alexander Georgiev in the minors over the break, meaning Tokarski will likely be on his way back down in a few days.
- The Detroit Red Wings announced that defenseman Filip Hronek is headed back to the Grand Rapids Griffins. The rookie blue liner has looked good in 23 NHL games this season and even better in 20 AHL games. He’ll spend some time in the minors while Detroit is on a break to keep the momentum of his season going.
- Both Devon Toews and Michael Dal Colle are on their way down to the AHL, as the Islanders have opted to give them some work over the bye week. Both players have double-digit games played for the surging Isles this season and have carved out roles for themselves recently, despite having just four NHL games between them prior to this season. The Bridgeport Sound Tigers will be happy to have the two talented player back in the lineup for a short time.
Peter Chiarelli Fired By Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers have finally pulled the trigger, firing GM and President of Hockey Operations Peter Chiarelli according to multiple reports including John Shannon of Sportsnet. Keith Gretzky will serve as interim GM as the team begins a search immediately for Chiarelli’s replacement.
It’s hard to find a more disappointing team than the Oilers the last few seasons, and Chiarelli is finally paying the price for that failure. Despite having arguably the best player in the world doing incredible things on a nightly basis, Edmonton now sits 23rd in the NHL and just six points from the bottom of the league. They dropped below .500 yesterday with a devastating loss to the Detroit Red Wings, though the move to fire Chiarelli was apparently made before the game.
That decision also comes just days after the Oilers puzzled the hockey world with a three-year extension for Mikko Koskinen, despite the goaltender having just 31 games of NHL experience. Mark Spector of Sportsnet reports that the extension was negotiated by Chiarelli personally, a deal that was widely derided for being too expensive and premature. Darren Dreger of TSN tweets that the negotiations started in early December, with it being an “organizational plan” to extend the goaltender. CEO Bob Nicholson refuted the idea that Chiarelli completed the extension by himself, and expressed confidence in the goaltender going forward. Koskinen was in net last night against the Red Wings, allowing three goals on 27 shots.
Countless other moves from Chiarelli have been questioned, most notably the trades of Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle that have not worked out well for the team. Hall went on to win a Hart Trophy with the New Jersey Devils, while the return for Eberle has dwindled into almost nothing with the team’s recent placement of Ryan Spooner on waivers. The Oilers have struggled to find offensive replacement for the talented wingers, and were rumored to be ready to make another deal to address that issue before the deadline.
Perhaps then this move comes as a precautionary measure by the upper management of the Oilers, who have taken the power away from a GM that was fighting to keep his job. Edmonton seemed to be in a playoffs-or-bust mode ever since the mid-season hiring of legendary head coach Ken Hitchcock, another move that has seemingly failed to breathe life into the roster.
Where the team turns now will be extremely interesting, as it’s not all rain clouds when looking towards the Oilers future. Connor McDavid is still just 22 years old and on pace to be one of the all-time scoring greats, while other talented prospects remain in the system. Though Jesse Puljujarvi and Kailer Yamamoto haven’t been able to establish themselves as full-time NHL players, they still have more than enough time to grow into their roles. Evan Bouchard too looks like a solid pick for the team and is expected to be back in the NHL next season.
The biggest question now will be how the team deals with the rest of the 2018-19 season. They are obviously struggling to keep up with the rest of the playoff pack in the Western Conference, and may need to try and reset the roster somewhat over the next few months. The team is pushed right up against the cap and already has almost $73MM committed to next season. Getting out from under some of their big-money deals might be job number one for the next GM, in order to rebuild the roster with a group that can complement McDavid’s speed and skill.
Early candidates for the job have already been speculated on, including Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) listing Kelly McCrimmon (Vegas Golden Knights AGM), Mark Hunter (London Knights GM), Ken Holland (Red Wings GM) and several others as names to consider.
Poll: Which Carolina Defenseman Is Most Likely To Be Traded?
With more reporting today that the Carolina Hurricanes are willing to move one of their defenseman, a debate has emerged over who would be the best target among them. The group is incredibly talented all around, but each player has their strengths and weaknesses. That makes for interesting decisions for both the Hurricanes and any inquiring team over what to prioritize as they look for playoff success. Is offensive skill at a premium in today’s NHL, or is a minute-munching penalty killer more valuable when the games get tighter?
Despite most of the trade speculation surrounding Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce, we’ll list the basic stats for each of the defensemen currently on the Hurricanes roster below. Cast your vote on who you think will be traded and make sure to explain why in the comments!
25, right-handed
19:30 ATOI
48 GP, 6 G, 10 A, 16 P, -13 rating, 59% CF%
$5.75MM through 2020-21
24, left-handed
23:04 ATOI
48 GP, 5 G, 16 A, 21 P, -13 rating, 55.2% CF%
$5.3MM through 2024-25
26, right-handed
22:14 ATOI
48 GP, 3 G, 14 A, 17 P, -2 rating, 54.1% CF%
$4.83MM through 2019-20
27, left-handed
19:24 ATOI
48 GP, 1 G, 10 A, 11 P, +6 rating, 55.1% CF%
$4.55MM through 2021-22
24, right-handed
19:38 ATOI
39 GP, 3 G, 8 A, 11 P, +14 rating, 54.2% CF%
$4.025MM through 2023-24
27, right-handed
15:16 ATOI
44 GP, 2 G, 7 A, 9 P, -2 rating, 53.1% CF%
$2.3MM through 2019-20
22, left-handed
12:40 ATOI
11 GP, 0 G, 1 A, 1 P, +1 rating, 52.5% CF%
$863K through 2018-19 (RFA)
Which Carolina defenseman is most likely to be traded?
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Dougie Hamilton 37% (452)
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Justin Faulk 29% (354)
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Brett Pesce 14% (167)
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Trevor van Riemsdyk 7% (82)
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Calvin de Haan 4% (47)
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Haydn Fleury 4% (47)
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Jaccob Slavin 3% (34)
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None 3% (33)
Total votes: 1,216
[Mobile users click here to vote]
Duchene Camp, Senators Set To Speak Again This Week
For a player in the final season of his current contract, time is running out to negotiate an extension before the trade deadline. If things aren’t put together over the next few weeks, teams will have to make a decision on whether they should move the expiring asset or risk letting him walk for nothing. Nowhere is that ticking clock louder than in Ottawa, where the Senators are facing tough decisions on a trio of forwards. Matt Duchene, Mark Stone and Ryan Dzingel are all scheduled to become unrestricted free agents at the end of the year, and if they don’t get a deal done soon GM Pierre Dorion might be forced to trade them.
While it’s not clear if the Senators will get a deal done with any of the three, there is at least contact between the camps. Most notably with Duchene’s representation who met with Dorion when they were in Los Angeles and according to Darren Dreger of TSN will speak again this week about a potential extension. Dreger reports that in the discussions earlier this month the two sides spoke about an eight-year contract, and suggests that the Senators are hoping to stay somewhere around $8MM per season. That apparently might not be enough for Duchene’s camp, who Dreger points out might be looking for somewhere between $65-75MM, presumably also over that eight-year term.
Whether the Senators want to sign Duchene or not, a contract of that magnitude is one that takes a lot of consideration for a budget team. In fact, a $64MM deal like Dreger suggests would be three times as big as any contract Dorion has handed out in the past. His previous high water mark was the four-year, $20.75MM deal handed out to Mike Hoffman in 2016, one that obviously didn’t work out perfectly for the Senators. Even Dorion’s predecessor Bryan Murray only signed a single player to a deal eclipsing $50MM, and that was the seven-year $50.75MM deal for Bobby Ryan that is haunting the Senators’ salary structure to this day.
Obviously the team has paid out big contracts before, but it’s hard to imagine them forking over more than $125MM in the next few weeks to Duchene and Stone. Both players are undeniable talents, but may just be too pricey for the Senators to keep around. If that’s the case, the team will need some time to work out the best trade for the organization, meaning a decision will have to come in the next few weeks.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Pavel Datsyuk Not Contemplating Retirement Yet
When Pavel Datsyuk left North America in the summer of 2016 to return to Russia for his family, it seemed like he would play a few years in the KHL and then hang up his skates. After all, he was leaving the NHL just before his 38th birthday and had just experienced his worst offensive season (on a point-per-game basis at least) since he was a rookie. There were obvious signs of him slowing down, but he has found great success in Russia since leaving the Detroit Red Wings. That success may keep him going a while longer, at least according to his agent.
In an interview given in Russian, agent Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey makes it clear that Datsyuk isn’t considering retirement just yet. In fact, Milstein leaves the door open on a potential return to the Red Wings, explaining that it would be the right spot to return to if his client decided to pursue an NHL comeback. Datsyuk will at least continue playing hockey through his 41st birthday which comes this July, given his success with SKA St. Petersberg once again this season.
Since returning to the KHL, Datsyuk has recorded 103 points in 125 games, won a Gagarin Cup in 2017 and an Olympic gold last year as captain of the “Olympic Athletes from Russia” team. His current deal with SKA expires at the end of April and his NHL rights—currently held by Arizona—would also expire on July 1st leaving him an unrestricted free agent. Despite that, it still seems unlikely that he would ever pursue a return to the NHL at this point. Milstein explains that it was all up to Datsyuk to leave in the first place, and it would take the same sort of decision to return. More likely, Datsyuk will continue playing in the KHL and add to his already incredible career on the ice.
Carolina Hurricanes Willing To Move Top-Four Defenseman
It’s been months if not years of speculation surrounding the Carolina Hurricanes and their depth on defense, but now as the team has started playing well and is pushing closer to the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference things are heating up. Today, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported (subscription required) that the Hurricanes are willing to move one of their top-four defensemen, and noted that both Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce are generating interest from around the league. Carolina is interested in landing another top-six forward, especially given that pending free agent Micheal Ferland is “all but gone” according to LeBrun.
Since the Hurricanes have already indicated that Jaccob Slavin is the one untouchable on the blue line, trading a top-four option would likely come down to Hamilton, Pesce or former co-captain Justin Faulk. Calvin de Haan does have some claim to a top-four role of his own, but between just signing with the Hurricanes in the summer and not being part of the overload on the right side, his availability seems more unlikely.
It won’t surprise anyone to find out that the Hurricanes are listening on a trade of this magnitude. This is the team that has jettisoned Elias Lindholm, Victor Rask, Noah Hanifin and Jeff Skinner in the last six months as they try to find a new identity under owner Tom Dundon and head coach Rod Brind’Amour. Dundon has made it clear that he wants to win and he wants to win now, something that they’re going to need more scoring to accomplish.
Hamilton and Pesce both represent huge targets for other teams around the league, but they come with much different financial situations. Hamilton, 25, is signed for just two years after this season and comes with a $5.75MM cap hit. After starting the season strong he has seen his minutes reduced of late, playing fewer than 20 minutes in 16 of his last 20 appearances. Pesce’s ice time meanwhile is headed in the opposite direction, logging four of his top-five totals in this month alone including nearly 23 minutes in a win over the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday. The 24-year old also comes with five additional seasons under contract at a reasonable $4.025MM cap hit.
The two come with very different on-ice profiles too however, as Hamilton is a possession-driving offensive option while Pesce is of the more reliable stay-at-home variety. In fact, Hamilton has recorded almost three times as many shots on net this season given his ample powerplay time, while Pesce easily leads the Hurricanes in short-handed time per game. That kind of stylistic gap will make it very interesting to see who the Hurricanes deal, as moving either one would open up an opportunity for someone else to step in. It also would offer some insight into what the acquiring team is after, especially as the playoffs draw closer.
Obviously it’s not even a certainty that one of the Hurricanes defensemen is moved at all, but as the trade deadline comes within view they will be one of the teams most watched for any activity.
Brad Hunt Traded To Minnesota Wild
Late last night, the Vegas Golden Knights decided to flip defenseman Brad Hunt to the Minnesota Wild, acquiring a 2019 fifth-round pick for the defenseman. The Golden Knights will also be sending a 2019 sixth-round pick to the Wild, meaning they’ve only moved up a single round—though, given their places in the standings it could certainly be more than 31 spots higher. In fact, the Wild will be sending the better of the two fifths (their own and Washington’s) they currently have.
Hunt, 30, has played just 13 games for the Golden Knights this year after surprising many with his play during their inaugural season. The veteran minor league defenseman had played just 33 NHL contests coming into 2017-18 with Vegas, but ended up suiting up 45 times and recording 18 points. Always an offensive producer at the AHL level, he has continued that production in the NHL and will now try to give a little more juice to the Minnesota blue line.
As a pending unrestricted free agent, Hunt will be playing for his next contract as well as trying to show that he can be a full-time contributor at the highest level while with Minnesota. The Wild are holding onto the final playoff spot in the Central Division by the slimmest of margins and have shaken up their squad of late with the additions of Pontus Aberg and Victor Rask. Those changes very well could continue as GM Paul Fenton looks to push his team over the top and compete while they still have their core in tact.
Toronto Maple Leafs Making Progress On Auston Matthews Extension
A topic of speculation for years around the hockey world has been offer sheets and how teams could use them as predatory strikes against rivals, driving up cap hits or attempting to steal their best players. One team in particular that is targeted with hypothetical situations is the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have heard that just about every team in the league is preparing to sign both Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner to offer sheets this summer. The Maple Leafs are in a tricky financial situation after signing William Nylander and John Tavares to expensive long-term deals, meaning it would be tough for them to match the lucrative offers some other franchises could wave in front of their other young stars.
There are so many barriers before anything like that actually happens though, and one of them is simply the Maple Leafs signing Matthews or Marner to a long-term extension before they even reach restricted free agency in the first place. Though that won’t take place with Marner, whose representatives have made it clear they will wait until after the season to start negotiating, it very well may happen with Matthews. Today, when speaking with reporters in Toronto including Chris Johnston of Sportsnet, GM Kyle Dubas explained that the team has “made progress” on an extension for their explosive sniper. Dubas would like the deal done before the trade deadline if possible.
Matthews, 21, is having another fantastic season for the Maple Leafs with 20 goals and 42 points in 34 games. Though he missed a fair chunk of time earlier in the year—and is in something of a slump at the moment—he’s still poised to have quite the resume when discussing any long-term extension.
When Connor McDavid signed his record-setting eight-year $100MM extension in 2017, he had just 148 points in 127 games. McDavid had missed nearly half of his rookie season with injury, but was fresh off an 100-point year and a pile of individual awards. Jack Eichel meanwhile had just 113 points in 142 games when he signed his eight-year $80MM extension with the Buffalo Sabres, who were betting on his potential more than his production in the early part of his career. He too missed games as a sophomore, and didn’t have quite the lofty statistics that McDavid had recorded.
Matthews then may fall somewhere in the middle given what he’s done so far. The Toronto center has 174 points in 178 games including a 40-goal campaign and Calder Trophy as a rookie in 2016-17. He ranks seventh in goals since the start of that season with 94, despite averaging fewer than 18 minutes a night over that span.
The salary cap has gone up since McDavid and Eichel signed their contracts though, meaning the same percentage would be worth more if Matthews were to sign today. For instance, if he matched the same 13.33% that the Sabres gave to Eichel, Matthews’ deal would come in around $10.6MM per season going with this year’s $79.5MM cap. That would seem to be his floor, though the Maple Leafs will surely try to get him in at the lowest possible number.
Toronto already has an $11MM player in Tavares, and very well could have two more eight-digit earners in Matthews and Marner next season depending on how negotiations go. That kind of commitment to a handful of forwards will put a strain on the rest of their roster, especially given that young players like Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson are also set to hit restricted free agency. Getting Matthews under contract as soon as possible will give the front office more time to figure out how everything is going to work, and decide whether or not they can actually acquire a player with any kind of term at the upcoming trade deadline.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Edmonton Oilers Place Ty Rattie, Ryan Spooner On Waivers
Tuesday: All three players have cleared waivers and can be assigned to the minor leagues.
Monday: With the Edmonton Oilers continuing to slip out of playoff contention, the team has placed forwards Ty Rattie and Ryan Spooner on waivers. They’ll be joined by Justin Falk of the Ottawa Senators, who is finally healthy enough to resume playing but will be sent to the minor leagues if he clears.
Spooner’s placement on waivers will be the one that dominates headlines for the next 24 hours, given how he came to be part of the Oilers organization. The 26-year old forward was acquired from the New York Rangers for Ryan Strome earlier this season, who in turn had been the entire return for Jordan Eberle when the Oilers felt they needed to shed some salary up front. The idea that Spooner could now be gone for nothing will enrage Edmonton fans that have watched Eberle find success with the New York Islanders while their team struggles to find anyone who can put the puck in the net outside of their top three. The Oilers have even been described as desperate to add offensive touch on the wings, something that basically describes Eberle (not to mention Taylor Hall, another traded winger) perfectly.
Still, it’s not really surprising that Spooner finds himself in this position. The forward has recorded just three points in 24 games since being acquired by the Oilers and has recently spent time in the press box as a healthy scratch. His perimeter game has not gelled with head coach Ken Hitchcock’s system at all, and without regular powerplay time his offensive production has almost completely dried up.
There may be some reason to believe Spooner will be claimed though, given his history as a 40-50 point center in the league. In 2015-16 with the Boston Bruins Spooner recorded 49 points in 80 games while playing more than 15 minutes a night, before settling for 39 and 41 points the next two years while playing on the wing more often. That kind of production is exactly what the Oilers were hoping for when the acquired him, and what another team could take a chance on. With one more year on his contract at $3.1MM though, Edmonton may be forced to try and bury him in the minor leagues for the time being to open up some cap space.
Rattie meanwhile was likely one of the people most upset when Hitchcock was given the Edmonton job, given their history with the St. Louis Blues. The 32nd-overall pick from 2011 was never really able to get into the lineup under Hitchcock, and eventually found himself claimed off waivers by the Carolina Hurricanes. In 30 games with the Blues, Rattie recorded eight points, the same number he has in 29 contests with Edmonton this year.