East Notes: Pageau, Hurricanes, Martinook, Palmieri, Eichel
Earlier reports have the Ottawa Senators holding two of their top trade chips out of their lineup Saturday as the team have made both Tyler Ennis and Vladislav Namestnikov healthy scratches. However, one player who isn’t going to be a healthy scratch Saturday is center Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who is considered to be one of the top three trade candidates at the moment.
That could change, however, as TVA’s Renaud Lavoie reports that Pageau and the Ottawa Senators are still negotiating a contract extension and the center will continue to play for the team. After failing to lock up any of their pending free agents last year at the trade deadline as they lost Mark Stone, Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel, the team is hoping they can convince the 27-year-old to remain with the team. Pageau is having a career year with 24 goals and 40 points, both career highs. The team hopes to come to terms with the forward before being forced to move him on Monday.
- Speaking of contract extensions, the New York Rangers are also in discussions with their top trade target, Chris Kreider, about a contract extension. However, there are plenty of teams that have been discussed that might be willing to pay big to bring Kreider aboard for their playoff run, including the Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports that the Carolina Hurricanes have also expressed interest in adding Kreider. The Hurricanes, who are still battling to even get into the playoffs (they are one point out of a playoff spot at the moment), do have one of the best prospect systems in the league and have the picks and prospects to make an enticing offer if they want.
- Speaking of the Hurricanes, TSN’s Mark Masters reports that Carolina will get back forward Jordan Martinook tonight after being out since Feb. 4 with an upper-body injury. The 27-year-old has two goals and 11 points in 37 games with Carolina this season.
- New Jersey Devils forward Kyle Palmieri isn’t worried about trade rumors. The 29-year-old has been traded before and understands how the trade deadline works, according to Abby Mastrocco of northjersey.com. “It’s just a lot of noise,” Palmieri said this week at Prudential Center. “It’s not something I can control. There are plenty of Twitter GMs out there but right now, I’m staying focused on the game and the guys in this room. Until someone tells me otherwise, that’s what my focus is on.” Palmieri could fetch the Devils quite a return if they are willing to move him. He has 22 goals and 42 points in 57 games for New Jersey, but more importantly has one more year on his contract after this one, which many teams might be attracted to.
- Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel didn’t take any faceoffs during Saturday’s game and The Athletic’s John Vogl found a source who said that Eichel suffered a midsection ailment and the team didn’t want their star to bend over for faceoffs Saturday. It doesn’t look like the injury will keep him out of the lineup, however, as the 23-year-old still potted two goals Saturday against the Penguins in the 5-2 victory.
Zach Bogosian Clears Unconditional Waivers
Saturday: Bogosian has cleared waivers as expected, reports Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic which will pave the way for his release. TSN’s Darren Dreger suggests that Toronto, Carolina, Winnipeg, and Pittsburgh will be among those interested in him as a free agent.
Friday, 10:55am: The Sabres have confirmed the placement of Bogosian on unconditional waivers, and their intention on terminating his contract.
9:45am: After failing to report to the Rochester Americans earlier this month, Zach Bogosian was suspended without pay by the Buffalo Sabres. That took him off the books in regards to the team’s cap, but still didn’t solve anything for the player. According to Darren Dreger of TSN, Bogosian will now be placed on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a contract termination. While that will void the remaining money on his current contract, it does make Bogosian an unrestricted free agent and able to sign with another team.
The timing of this is important, as Bogosian would need a new contract filed with the league before the trade deadline in order to be eligible for the playoffs. It’s hard to know exactly who might be interested, though Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets that he wouldn’t be surprised if the Toronto Maple Leafs “at least checked in.”
The 29-year old Bogosian became a regular healthy scratch for the Sabres this season after a career marred by injury. Selected third overall in 2008 he has only played more than 71 games in a season on one occasion, and has just 194 points in 636 games. The 6’3″ defenseman currently carries a $5.14MM cap hit that will be terminated tomorrow, should the process go smoothly.
Minor Transactions: 02/22/20
At this time of year, every game is important to both ongoing playoff battles and teams’ final decisions on their trade deadline stance. Friday was no different, as the Blues asserted themselves against the division rival Stars, the Avalanche narrowly edged the Ducks to keep up in the Central as well, the Islanders got a much-needed win, and the Oilers, Predators, and Hurricanes all failed to come away with two points in upset losses. However, the fiercest battle in the NHL right now is at the top of the league, where the Bruins and Lightning are simultaneously batting for the Atlantic Division title, the top seed in the Eastern Conference, and the President’s Trophy. As good as Boston has played of late, they have still lost ground to a Tampa club that has been unstoppable since December. After a rare Bolts loss to Vegas on Friday, the Bruins needed to take advantage in a Pacific clash of their own in Calgary. The odds seemed bleak after allowing three goals to the Flames in the first six minutes of play, but Boston shut out Calgary for the rest of the game and came away with a meaningful 4-3 win to increase their lead over Tampa Bay to five points. Whether it is a top contender, a fringe playoff team, or a bottom-dweller, every minor move also has significance at this time. With the trade deadline arriving in just two days, look for today to be a busy day for roster tweaks:
- The Vegas Golden Knights have recalled a pair of players, including Las Vegas native Gage Quinney. The 24-year-old forward has finally earned an NHL appearance with 32 points in 42 games so far this season, among the top producers on the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. The trade of Cody Eakin opens up a roster spot up front in Vegas for Quinney and his teammates in the minors, at least until Alex Tuch returns from injury or the Knights make a trade addition. Also returning to the top level is defenseman Zach Whitecloud, who has skated in seven games with Vegas so far this season.
- Scott Wilson is on his way back down to the minors, as the Buffalo Sabres announced that they have reassigned the veteran forward. The move is somewhat surprising, as Wilson has contributed two points in four games since being recalled earlier this month and seemingly looked like he would either stick with Buffalo for a while longer or could potentially be a candidate to be traded as an affordable depth addition for a contender. Instead, the impending free agent will head back to the AHL’s Rochester Americans, where he has 19 points in 29 games this year.
- After losing Cody Goloubef on waivers yesterday, the Ottawa Senators have promoted Christian Jaros to fill his place on the back end. Jaros, 23, played in 61 games with Ottawa last season but only six so far in 2019-20. As the Senators get set to trade away multiple pieces before the deadline on Monday, Jaros is one of a number of minor leaguers from AHL Belleville expected to see an increased role down the stretch.
- The injury-riddled Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled defenseman Gabriel Carlsson from the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. Carlsson was just sent down yesterday, but the team will need him as they take on the Predators tonight without any regulars expected to return to the lineup. Carlsson, a big, stay-at-home defender, has been a good fit in Columbus as a spot starter, even if he has yet to produce a point in six games this season.
- Darcy Kuemper is taking an important step towards returning to the lineup as the Arizona Coyotes have assigned him to the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners on a conditioning stint. He has missed just over two months with a lower-body injury but was one of the top goalies in the league before being injured. Assuming there are no setbacks, he should return to Arizona sometime next week and give them a huge boost in their push for a playoff spot.
- The Philadelphia Flyers have returned defenseman Mark Friedman to AHL Lehigh Valley, reports Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Daily News and Inquirer. He has been shuffled back and forth in recent days and managed to get into Thursday’s game with the big club where he logged more than 16 minutes of ice time.
- With Erik Gustafsson being held out of the lineup with the trade deadline on the horizon (he won’t be joining the Blackhawks for their upcoming road game), Chicago will be recalling defenseman Lucas Carlsson from the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL, reports Mark Lazerus of The Athletic. If he gets into the lineup, it will be his first NHL action. Carlsson is in his second season with Rockford and has 26 points in 48 games this season.
- The Colorado Avalanche announced they have recalled forward Logan O’Connor from the Colorado Eagles of the AHL. With only 12 healthy forwards on the roster, O’Connor should provide some insurance in case of injury for the time being. The 23-year-old returns after a stint with the Avalanche in December where he played seven games with one goal. The forward has 12 goals and 25 points in 40 games with the Eagles.
- The Edmonton Oilers announced they have assigned forward Colby Cave and defenseman Evan Bouchard to the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL. Cave has played in six games since being recalled on Feb. 10, but hasn’t picked up a point in that span. He has one goal in 11 games for Edmonton this season. His assignment likely indicates that Connor McDavid is ready to return to the Oilers’ lineup. As for Bouchard, the 10th-overall pick in 2018, he will have to wait to make his 2019-20 debut. He was recalled Wednesday and has been a healthy scratch twice. He is expected to play with Bakersfield on Saturday and could return to be Edmonton’s seventh defenseman on Sunday again.
Trade Candidate: Conor Sheary
With the trade deadline quickly approaching, we continue to profile players that have a good chance to be dealt by February 24th.
It was only a few years ago that it looked like Conor Sheary could be another homegrown key player in Pittsburgh’s program. However, salary cap issues necessitated a trade to Buffalo back in the 2018 offseason. While he hasn’t been able to come close to the 53-point campaign he had back in 2016-17, Sheary could still be an intriguing under the radar acquisition for a team looking to boost their depth on the wing. Two Stanley Cup titles with the Penguins will only make him more interesting to prospective buyers.
Contract
Sheary is in the final season of a three-year, $9MM contract signed back in 2017 while still with Pittsburgh, paying $3MM in salary each year. The contract does not contain any form of trade protection and he will be eligible for unrestricted free agency in July.
2019-20
This season has not gone well for most of Buffalo’s players and Sheary is no exception. He has managed to stay healthy for the most part (only missing four games to a minor upper-body issue) but he’s averaging his lowest point per game average over any of his four full NHL seasons. Secondary scoring has been an issue for the Sabres all season long and he is part of the reason.
Nonetheless, he can still play both wings and isn’t reliant on power play time to pad his stats as only three of his points this season have come with the man advantage. That follows the trend for his career as even when he was at his best with Pittsburgh, those points were few and far between. That should appeal to teams that are looking to add to their third line but don’t want to disrupt their power play units.
Season Stats
53 GP, 9 goals, 10 assists, 19 points, -3 rating, 8 PIMS, 86 shots, 12:58 TOI, 49.0 CF%
Potential Suitors
No one is going to be looking at Sheary as one of their top targets as they’ll be setting their sights higher at this stage. But as the more impact players come off the board (or no-trade clauses come into play), teams will eventually be pivoting to other plans and that is the tier that he fits in.
In the East, the Penguins could be a fit. GM Jim Rutherford recently indicated his interest in adding another forward for depth and the fact that he knows the system and has played with several of their key players in the past would certainly be beneficial. They’d need Buffalo to retain part of his deal though. The Islanders are in need of offensive upgrades throughout their lineup and while Sheary would be a lower-end one, he’d still represent an improvement nonetheless. The Blue Jackets may be shopping in the lower end of the market this year with an eye on an incremental upgrade and Sheary would fit in that price range. Losing Oliver Bjorkstrand for the rest of the year creates a vacancy on the wing that they’ll likely want to fill.
Out West, Arizona is still having issues scoring and with what they paid for Taylor Hall and Phil Kessel, they’re missing some of the assets they’d need to go after a top player. A depth upgrade is likely more up their alley. Nashville has worked their way from a likely seller to be right in the mix. However, GM David Poile may still want to shy away from the top of the market given that they’re still on the outside looking in at a playoff spot. An addition like Sheary could give them a small boost without moving a pick or prospect of too much significance.
Likelihood Of A Trade
This is a situation that will likely run right to the deadline. Teams that strike out on their top acquisitions could turn to Buffalo late in the day and offer up a mid-to-late round pick to try to salvage the day. If that’s enough for GM Jason Botterill, there’s a good chance that Sheary will be on the move.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Cole Bardreau, Taylor Leier Clear Waivers
Both Cole Bardreau and Taylor Leier have cleared waivers, according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet. The New York Islanders had placed Bardreau on waivers after acquiring Andy Greene over the weekend, while Leier had to clear in order to stay in the minor leagues after signing an NHL contract with the Buffalo Sabres.
Bardreau, 26, made his NHL debut this season after toiling in the minor leagues for several years. The Cornell grad had two points in ten games for the Islanders, but was never expected to spend the rest of the season on the active roster. After clearing waivers in September, he needed to clear again to be sent back to the minor leagues.
Leier meanwhile is just celebrating a new NHL contract, signed yesterday with the Sabres after settling for an AHL deal in the summer. He became a group VI unrestricted free agent in July after failing to get a full-time opportunity with the Philadelphia Flyers, suiting up just 55 times in the NHL through his first four professional seasons. The fourth-round pick can be called up at any point by the Sabres, but will stay in Rochester for the moment.
Buffalo Sabres Suspend Zach Bogosian
After clearing waivers recently, Zach Bogosian was assigned to the Rochester Americans of the AHL. After failing to report to the minor league team, the Buffalo Sabres have suspended Bogosian indefinitely. While he remains under suspension, Bogosian will forfeit his salary and his entire cap hit will come off the Sabres’ books.
The 29-year old Bogosian is in the final season of the seven-year, $36MM contract he signed with the Winnipeg Jets in 2013 and carries a cap hit of $5.14MM this season. After being made a healthy scratch earlier in the year he had requested a trade, but due to this hefty contract any deal would be difficult for the Sabres to accomplish. Now after several more scratches and an assignment to the minor leagues, it appears that his time with the Sabres’ organization may be over.
The two sides could still come to an agreement of some sort. A mutual contract termination would see Bogosian give up what remains on his deal, but at this point a suspension amounts to the same thing, without an opportunity for him to sign elsewhere. A termination would make Bogosian an unrestricted free agent, though to be eligible for playoff hockey with a new team he would have to sign a contract before the trade deadline.
There is also still a trade option, if the Sabres can find a team willing to take on his contract. That seems unlikely at this point however, given his availability on waivers and the new cap flexibility that this suspension creates for Buffalo.
Bogosian has five points in 19 games this season for the Sabres.
Sabres Sign Taylor Leier To NHL Contract
Last January, the Buffalo Sabres and Philadelphia Flyers swapped prospects, with Justin Bailey heading to Philly and Taylor Leier going to Buffalo. The duo had remarkably similar numbers at both the NHL and AHL levels and were each headed to restricted free agency, but the teams hoped a change of scenery might help to push them into NHL roles. However, when the time came for qualifying offers, both players found themselves as free agents rather than sticking with their new teams. The reasons however were very different.
Bailey got an immediate tryout with Philadelphia last season, skating in 11 games with the Flyers down the stretch. Unfortunately for the big winger, he failed to impress with just one point in that span and was not much of a difference-maker in the AHL either. The Flyers let him walk and he signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Vancouver Canucks this summer, which has so far paid off with immense minor league production and even a pair of NHL appearances.
Leier, on the other hand, spent the remainder of last season with the AHL’s Rochester Americans and was a valuable asset. By all accounts, the Sabres had planned to re-sign him. However, the young forward suffered a freak accident while training in May that completely changed the status quo. While practicing his stickhandling on rollerblades at a local tennis court near his Saksatoon home, Leier fell and put his arm out to break his fall. His shoulder popped out, tearing his labrum. Suddenly, his future was in doubt. With a long road ahead of him, including surgery and rehab, Leier knew that an extension with Buffalo was likely no longer an option. Yet, finding employment anywhere else was likely even more unlikely. The team and player agreed that staying where he was, that being AHL Rochester, was the best course of action, and so Leier signed a one-year AHL deal with the Americans.
Leier returned to game action in late December, finally having healed from his accident. In the 17 games since, the skilled forward has recorded seven goals and eight points, among the team’s scoring leaders. Regardless of whether they need him this season or not, the Sabres have decided to reward Leier’s hard work and dedication. The team announced today that they have signed him to an NHL contract for the remainder of the season. While it is a two-way deal worth the minimum $700K, the move is more of a symbolic gesture anyhow that shows Leier that the club continues to support him. It will also keep him under team control into next season as a restricted free agent.
Of course, Leier will have to clear waivers today before he can be re-added to the Rochester roster. If he continues to produce in the AHL, the Sabres could finally give him an NHL look down the stretch as well, especially if they move out current roster pieces at the trade deadline. Leier has 55 NHL games and seven points under his belt and after working hard to return from injury and earn an NHL contract, the hope is that the young forward will have the chance to build upon those totals moving forward.
Minor Transactions: 02/17/20
A pair of big trades by the New Jersey Devils were not the only surprises on Sunday. Five of yesterday’s nine games could be labeled as upsets, including the Devils own win after dealing captain Andy Greene and fan-favorite Blake Coleman earlier in the day. New Jersey went on to beat Columbus in a shootout nonetheless. Additionally, the Senators squeaked by the Stars in overtime, the Predators narrowly edged out the slumping Blues, and the Ducks and Sabres won handily over the Canucks and Maple Leafs respectively. Anaheim will look to play spoiler again today as they visit Calgary as one five games on the docket today. With one week to go until the NHL Trade Deadline, these games will be an important piece in determining buyers and sellers, as could the roster tweaks they make ahead of these key contests. Keep up with all of those minors moves right here:
- Boston Bruins defenseman Connor Clifton is nearing a return to the lineup, as the team announced last night that they had assigned Clifton to AHL Providence on a conditioning loan. Clifton has played in 30 games so far this season, but has been out since before the calendar flipped to the new year with an upper-body injury that landed him on long-term injured reserve. Clifton’s eventual return will cause some complications for the Bruins as his roster spot has been occupied by Jeremy Lauzon, who has moved into a starting role in Boston and even earned a new two-year extension. If the Bruins opt to carry eight defensemen upon Clifton’s activation, the most likely candidate to go down (following waivers) would be young grinder Anton Blidh.
- St. Louis Blues beat writer Lou Korac reports that veteran Troy Brouwer has been reassigned to the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage. While there has been no official announcement by the team, this should not come as much of a surprise, as Brouwer has previously been sent to the AHL this year. The 34-year-old signed with St. Louis in late November for what will likely be his final NHL campaign, but has only been used sparingly and has struggled to produce in what time he has been given.
- After recalling defenseman Andreas Englund from AHL Belleville before last night’s game, the Ottawa Senators were quick to send him right back once the game was over. The up-and-down has been a common theme of Englund’s season, as the big Swedish blue liner has played a dozen games with Ottawa and 22 with Belleville. He has just two points combined this season, both in the NHL.
Zach Bogosian Clears Waivers
Saturday: Bogosian has cleared waivers, reports Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston. The Sabres announced that he has been assigned to AHL Rochester.
Friday: The Buffalo Sabres have decided to offer Zach Bogosian to the rest of the league for free, placing him on waivers today. Bogosian has been a healthy scratch at times this season and reportedly requested a trade, but also comes with a hefty contract that makes a deal difficult.
Bogosian, 29, was acquired by the Sabres back in 2015 as part of the huge Tyler Myers–Evander Kane deal, but his constant battle with injury never stopped. In fact, Bogosian has played more than 80 games in a season just once in his career, not even topping 65 since 2010-11. That fact, combined with a steady decline in effectiveness, has made him even impossible to ice for the Sabres.
Combine those struggles with the fact that he is still carrying a $5.14MM cap hit this season and the idea of a team claiming the right-handed defenseman becomes unlikely. Bogosian is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year and could still try to continue his career elsewhere, but having a team take that contract of Buffalo’s hands right now will be difficult.
There is always the trade route, if the Sabres are willing to retain some salary, but again it would be hard to see him providing any real upgrade for a contending team. At this point, it seems likely that he’ll just have to wait out the rest of the year in Buffalo (or, alternatively Rochester if the team decides to send him to the minor leagues and save $1.075MM against the cap).
Sabres Recall John Gilmour And Andrew Hammond
- The Sabres announced (Twitter link) the recalls of defenseman John Gilmour and goaltender Andrew Hammond from AHL Rochester. Gilmour has spent most of the season in the minors but hasn’t come close to his 54-point output from a year ago with just 13 points in 32 games. He will likely be taking the place of Zach Bogosian on the roster. Meanwhile, Carter Hutton is taking a maintenance day which warranted Hammond’s recall to get them back to two goalies on the active roster. Buffalo is back in action on Sunday against Toronto.