Edmonton Oilers Claim Colby Cave
The Boston Bruins thought they could slide Colby Cave through waivers this week, but with the Edmonton Oilers looking for any sort of forward help it wasn’t to be so. The Oilers have claimed Cave, meaning he will join their NHL group and likely get another chance to establish himself at the highest level.
It’s not the first time this season that the Oilers have taken a stab at a young forward on waivers, given their dramatic need for help in the bottom half of their lineup. Cave played 20 games with the Bruins this season and actually impressed many with his unending work ethic and two-way ability. The 24-year old recorded five points in those games but has also dominated the AHL level this year with 18 points in 15 contests for the Providence Bruins. There’s little reason to believe he can become a top-six forward for Edmonton, but they’ve struggled so much to create any offense outside of their top few players that even a professional fourth-liner may be an upgrade.
The Oilers have just four forwards with at least five goals this season—not counting Drake Caggiula who recorded seven before being traded away—and amazingly fewer with even 25 points. Jujhar Kaira’s 13 points puts him fifth among all forwards, a production level that is not possible for a team expecting to challenge for the Stanley Cup. Cave should immediately challenge for a full-time role in Edmonton, and could even push out some of the more veteran options.
Minor Transactions: 01/15/19
If you like to see the best teams in the NHL face off, you’ve arrived at the right day on the schedule as several matchups this evening will be star-studded. The Vegas Golden Knights and Winnipeg Jets clash in a battle of 60-point Western Conference teams, while the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins hit the road to face the Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks respectively. While those teams prepare for war, we’ll be right here keeping track of all the minor moves.
- With Andrew Cogliano expected to make his Dallas Stars debut tonight, the team has sent Michael Mersch back to the minor leagues. Mersch was only recalled yesterday, likely as insurance should Cogliano have faced any difficulties getting situated with his new club.
- Joseph Gambardella has been sent to the minor leagues by the Edmonton Oilers in order to make room for the newly acquired Colby Cave. Cave is expected to immediately enter the lineup, while Gambardella will have to return to the Bakersfield Condors for the time being.
- Meanwhile in Boston, the Bruins have recalled Peter Cehlarik to replace Cave’s roster spot. Cehlarik has 29 points in 37 games for the Providence Bruins and will try to establish himself at the NHL level given the team’s bottom-six needs.
- Dylan Gambrell is on his way back to the San Jose Sharks after dominating at the minor league level. With 24 points in 27 games, Gambrell is showing exactly why he was selected in the second round and found so much success at the University of Denver.
Anaheim Ducks Will “Take Another Crack” At Silfverberg Extension
When the Anaheim Ducks traded away Andrew Cogliano this morning to the Dallas Stars, many took it as a sign that the team was looking to break up the core group and move in a different direction. That was understandable given their recent lack of success, so it was easy to look at the roster and expect a pending unrestricted free agent like Jakob Silfverberg to be next on the chopping block. Not so fast apparently, as Ducks GM Bob Murray told Craig Custance of The Athletic that the team would “take another crack” at signing Silfverberg to an extension.
Silfverberg, 28, is in fact one of the few pending unrestricted free agents the Ducks have on the roster this season, and perhaps the one that would draw the most interest near the trade deadline. The two-way winger has consistently performed for the Ducks since being acquired from the Ottawa Senators as part of the Bobby Ryan trade back in 2013, and actually leads the team in goals this season with 12. That kind of reliable performance would be coveted by many teams, especially ones looking for right-handed help at forward. He only carries a $3.75MM cap hit and can fit into several different roles.
That flexibility and consistency could very well be why the Ducks want to retain Silfverberg though, as the team does not appear to be ready for a true rebuild. With Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry still under contract for the next three years, Anaheim will likely try to retool things and take another run next season. If they truly believe Silfverberg is part of the solution and not the problem, re-signing him during a relatively down year could potentially be a bargain for the team. For the player, there could be a glut of players just like Silfverberg on the market this summer driving his price down. If he’s comfortable in Anaheim perhaps something can be done over the next few weeks—if not, you can bet he’ll be pulling on another team’s sweater in late February.
New York Rangers Trade Cole Schneider To Nashville Predators
The New York Rangers have traded minor league forward Cole Schneider to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Connor Brickley. Both players will be able to report directly to their new organization’s minor league affiliates.
Amazingly, this is the fourth consecutive season that the Hartford Wolf Pack have seen their captain traded midseason. Joe Whitney, Mathew Bodie and Ryan Bourque have all previously suffered the same fate, which at this point has become a tradition of sorts. Schneider will be heading to the Admirals after another strong start to the season, as he currently has 25 points in 36 games. Hartford though has been one of the weaker teams in the AHL and find themselves sitting with an 18-17-4 record and 13th in the Eastern Conference.
Brickley meanwhile will be leaving the Predators organization after less than a year, having only signed with the team last summer. Once a second-round pick and top prospect of the Florida Panthers, Brickley has twice become a Group VI unrestricted free agent because of his lack of opportunity at the NHL level. In 67 games including 44 last season, the 26-year old has 17 points.
Frederik Andersen Activated From Injured Reserve
The Toronto Maple Leafs have gone 2-3 in the five games started by Michael Hutchinson, an emergency fill-in acquired from the Florida Panthers just before the team lost their two NHL goaltenders. Today, both of those goaltenders will be back on the ice as Frederik Andersen has been activated off of injured reserve and Garret Sparks has cleared the concussion protocol. Andersen will start against the Colorado Avalanche with Sparks serving as backup, while Hutchinson has been returned to the AHL for the time being.
Goaltending has been an interesting position for the Maple Leafs, who lost both Calvin Pickard and Curtis McElhinney on waivers just before the season began. That meant at one point Eamon McAdam was just a Sparks injury away from being the team’s starter, a far cry from the deep group they had a year ago. Hutchinson has returned some order to the position with his reliable presence in net the last few games, though the team is obviously thrilled with getting Andersen back.
In fact, the time off may have helped the Danish goaltender immensely. Andersen admitted recently that his groin injury had been affecting his play since December, a month in which he recorded just a .903 save percentage and allowed more than three goals per game. Those are a far cry from his numbers the previous month, where Andersen was playing like a potential Vezina candidate and making the Maple Leafs look like a real contender in the Eastern Conference.
His return comes with just 38 games remaining on the season, meaning he will almost definitely not reach the mark of 66 games he has played in each of the past two years. The team is hoping that rest will keep him fresher for the postseason, given the team’s consecutive first-round exits.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Edmonton Oilers Put On “Full-Court Press” In Search Of Forward Help
The Edmonton Oilers came into today just two points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference. That proximity is not because of their own success though, as almost every team vying for the wild card spots in the west have struggled to find any sort of consistency of late. In face, the Dallas Stars have gone 5-4-1 in their last ten and yet have still pulled ahead of the plummeting Colorado Avalanche in the Central Division. The struggles of the rest of the conference may be a blessing for the Oilers, who are still well within striking distance if they can figure out how to get the most out of their current roster, or make an addition to change up the on-ice dynamic.
It seems as though the front office has focused in on the latter of those two options, as Ryan Rishaug of TSN reports that the team has put on a “full-court press to find help at forward.” Rishaug goes so far as to say that the Oilers may be willing to part with their first-round pick, a goaltender and a young developing forward, though no specific players are mentioned.
With exactly six weeks left before the trade deadline, the league has been deemed a buyers’ market given the amount of teams that know they’re not ready to compete this season. That’s not the case for the Oilers, who can’t afford to waste another prime year of Connor McDavid on a playoff-less team. There’s unimaginable pressure on GM Peter Chiarelli to make this club a winner given McDavid’s talent, but so far the young forward has seen just 13 playoff games in his short career.
Part of that is because of the lack of secondary scoring in Edmonton, something that has plagued the team since McDavid came into the league (and even before that). The Oilers have three players with 40 or more points, but their fourth-highest scoring forward is Alex Chiasson with just 22. Chiasson’s 17 goals make him one of only four forwards with more than four, not counting the seven Drake Caggiula scored before being traded out of town.
Interestingly, one of the players with four goals is Jesse Puljujarvi. That name will immediately come to mind for anyone who reads “young developing forward” in Rishaug’s tweet, though there is nothing to indicate that is the player he is referring to. Puljujarvi has just seven points this season and 35 total in a 127-game NHL career, clearly not the production the team was hoping for when they picked him fourth overall in 2016.
If the Oilers are actually committed to improving through trade, there are certain to be a number of names available as the trade deadline approaches. Even if Artemi Panarin or Mark Stone don’t hit the open market, there have already been reports that teams like the St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers are willing to listen on nearly any of their veterans, while other teams like the Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers will have to quickly decide what to do with some expiring assets.
Josh Gorges Announces Retirement
Though he hasn’t played an NHL game since last year, Josh Gorges’ playing career was not officially over. That changed today when the veteran defenseman announced his retirement from the game of hockey. Gorges played 34 games last season for the Buffalo Sabres, and failed to reach an extension with the team as they moved on to a younger core.
The 34-year old defenseman will finish his NHL career with 783 regular season games, most of which were spent with the Montreal Canadiens. Gorges was a fan favorite in Montreal and a warrior in his own end, suiting up 57 times in the postseason for the franchise and averaging nearly 22 minutes a night in those games. Though he was never considered an offensive player, responsibility was heaped upon Gorges to slow down the opponent’s best players every single night.
In 2014 he was traded to the Sabres where he would wear an “A” as an alternate captain for three seasons, before transitioning out of that role last year. The well-liked veteran nevertheless failed to help Buffalo to the playoffs, and was an obvious choice to let go when his contract expired given the youth being injected into the lineup for this season.
Minor Transactions: 01/14/19
Just six games on the schedule for Monday night but that does include an old-fashioned rivalry game between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens. The two Eastern Conference franchises will face off with plenty on the line given their places in the standings. Boston currently has a three point lead on Montreal for third place in the Atlantic Division. As teams prepare for tonight’s action we’ll be right here keeping track of all the minor moves.
- The Ottawa Senators have sent Darren Archibald and Stefan Elliott back to the minor leagues, given they don’t play again until Wednesday. That leaves the Senators with just 21 players on the roster, meaning another move is likely before they take the ice. For Senators fans, that move is hopefully going to be the activation of Thomas Chabot who was at practice this morning in a regular jersey.
- Stefan Noesen has been placed on injured reserve by the New Jersey Devils in order to make room for Egor Yakovlev on the roster once again. Noesen’s IR stint is retroactive to January 12th, though it’s not clear when exactly he’ll return from this lower-body injury.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have sent Gabriel Carlsson and Kole Sherwood back to the minor leagues, meaning they’ll have to wait to get into the NHL lineup. Carlsson has played only a single game with the Blue Jackets this season, while Ohio native Sherwood is still waiting on his NHL debut.
- Michael Hutchinson has been returned to the minor leagues by the Toronto Maple Leafs as Frederik Andersen prepares to return to the crease. Toronto will also get Garret Sparks back on the end of the bench as the backup, meaning Hutchinson can return to the AHL and serve as valuable depth.
- Similarly Adin Hill has been sent back to the AHL by the Arizona Coyotes, who instead will use Darcy Kuemper in the starting role moving forward. Hill has shown himself to be a capable NHL netminder in his short career, but will be served better by starting every game in the minor leagues to continue his development.
- After trading away Devin Shore earlier today, the Dallas Stars have recalled Michael Mersch from the minor leagues. Mersch has just 17 games under his belt at the NHL level, all with the Los Angeles Kings in 2015-16. He does however have 20 points in 29 games for the Texas Stars and can be used as forward insurance as the team gets Andrew Cogliano up to speed.
Anaheim Ducks Trade Andrew Cogliano To Dallas Stars
The Anaheim Ducks have decided it’s time to shake things up, trading iron man Andrew Cogliano to the Dallas Stars in exchange for Devin Shore. The deal includes no other assets or retained salary.
It’s not surprising that the Ducks’ front office has decided something needed to change, given the 11-game losing streak they are currently experiencing. Anaheim was once safely in the playoff picture in the Western Conference, but have plummeted down out of the race in the Pacific Division and find themselves grasping for anything to keep them afloat. Whether this is the first move in a fire sale or just one to try and spark some offense isn’t clear, but they’ll head into the second half of the season with a new face on the ice.
Not only do the Ducks get younger in this transaction, but they’ll also add some extra depth down the middle with the 24-year old Shore. With 17 points this season he’s on pace for basically the exact same offensive season he’s had the past two years when he recorded 33 and 32 points for the Stars. It’s hard to imagine there is a lot more upside there, but perhaps a fresh start in Anaheim will spark the second-round pick. He hasn’t played center regularly since 2017, but could potentially see time there on an Anaheim team that has struggled to stay healthy down the middle.
In Cogliano, the Stars are receiving a depth option of their own to plug into the middle part of their lineup. The 31-year old has just 11 points on the season but still skates extremely well and can add value on the penalty kill. Dallas GM Jim Nill explained as much in a released statement:
In acquiring Andrew, we are able to add a conscientious player who brings a veteran-presence to our room. His explosive speed, 200-foot game and iron-man mentality will help our team both on and off the ice.
That mentality helped Cogliano reach the fourth-longest games played streak in NHL history earlier in his career when he suited up for 830 consecutive games. A suspension broke that streak, leaving him still without a single game missed due to injury in his 12-year career. There’s no doubt that Cogliano will be able to add some consistency to the Dallas lineup, but there is also no shortage of risk in a deal of this nature.
While Shore is under contract for one season after this one at a cap hit of $2.3MM before becoming a restricted free agent, Cogliano is still working on a deal that extends through 2020-21. That contract was signed almost exactly a year ago, and carries a $3.25MM cap hit. The Stars have plenty of cap room going forward after Jason Spezza‘s deal expires at the end of the year, but if Cogliano can’t turn things around and contribute at least a little bit offensively he could represent a quite overpaid asset. His 11 points puts him on pace for the worst season of his entire career.
Overall, this is a swap between two teams looking for answers. Neither has lived up to the lofty expectations many placed on them, and though Shore and Cogliano are not game-changing talents, a fresh start could invigorate both. It will be interesting to see if the Stars get Cogliano up to speed quickly enough for him to appear in tomorrow’s game, and not risk missing just the third contest of his career.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Trevor Moore To Two-Year Extension
3:28: The Maple Leafs provided details to Moore’s extension, which will pay him $750K in 2019-20 and $800K in the 2020-21 season.
10:18: Trevor Moore apparently impressed the Toronto Maple Leafs front office with his NHL debut enough to stick around. The team has signed Moore to a two-year, one-way contract extension that will carry an average annual value of $775K. Moore was scheduled to become a restricted free agent at the end of the season, and would have been eligible for arbitration.
Now the 23-year old forward has some stability moving forward and must be encouraged by the idea that he could be a full-time player for the Maple Leafs as early as next season. Deals like this are imperative for the Maple Leafs as they continue to traverse the difficult salary cap issues that will arise as they get their star players under contract. In his short NHL stint Moore has shown enough to prove he can be a reliable fourth-line contributor at worst, and now will be a reasonably priced one. Head coach Mike Babcock recently spoke to reporters including Luke Fox of Sportsnet about that obvious NHL floor, but also believes that there might be more to Moore’s game:
He’s going to be an NHLer, for sure. It’s just how soon do you want him to play eight minutes? That’s the beauty of not getting kids here too soon is, you want them to score. The more he scores [in the minor leagues], the more likely he’s going to score at the NHL level.
If we can get healthy, he can go down, score a lot and become a scorer rather than a checker.
Healthy is exactly what the Maple Leafs did after Moore’s six-game taste in the NHL, as Zach Hyman returned to the lineup recently and pushed the young forward back to the AHL. In 30 games for the Toronto Marlies, Moore has 26 points and was named to the All-Star game. That kind of production will be difficult to duplicate in the NHL especially given the tough forward competition, but this deal will at least give him the chance to do just that.
The Maple Leafs still have plenty of work to do before next season if they want to get all of their restricted free agents signed, a group that includes Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, Kasperi Kapanen, Andreas Johnsson, Garret Sparks and Igor Ozhiganov just on the NHL roster.