Trade Deadline Recap: Western Conference
After a month of lead up, a sprinkling of trades over the last week or so, and a wild deadline day today, NHL teams are done with transactions for the 2017-18 NHL season. Here are the deals that improved contenders in the Western Conference:
Deadline Day
Winnipeg Jets receive:
F Paul Stastny
St. Louis Blues receive:
F Erik Foley
2018 first-round pick
Conditional 2020 fourth-round pick
Vegas Golden Knights receive:
F Tomas Tatar
Detroit Red Wings receive:
2018 first-round pick
2019 second-round pick
2021 third-round pick
Nashville Predators receive:
F Ryan Hartman
2018 fifth-round pick
Chicago Blackhawks receive:
F Victor Ejdsell
2018 first-round pick
2018 fourth-round pick
San Jose Sharks receive:
F Evander Kane
Buffalo Sabres receive:
F Danny O’Regan
Conditional 2019 first-round pick
Conditional 2020 fourth-round pick
Anaheim Ducks receive:
F Jason Chimera
New York Islanders receive:
F Chris Wagner
Vegas Golden Knights receive:
D Philip Holm
Vancouver Canucks receive:
F Brendan Leipsic
Winnipeg Jets receive:
D Joe Morrow
Montreal Canadiens receive:
2018 fourth-round pick
Calgary Flames receive:
F Nick Shore
Ottawa Senators receive:
2019 seventh-round pick
San Jose Sharks Acquire Evander Kane From Buffalo Sabres
The San Jose Sharks have acquired Evander Kane from the Buffalo Sabres, according to Bob McKenzie of TSN in exchange for a conditional 2019 first-round pick, conditional 2020 fourth-round pick and Daniel O’Regan. Kane has not signed an extension with the Sharks, and is still scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News reports that the bidding was down to San Jose, Anaheim and Calgary today.
The first-round pick is tied to the re-signing of Kane. As Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports, if the Sharks don’t re-sign the 26-year old forward before July 1st, it becomes a second-round pick in 2019 instead—unless the Sharks also win the 2018 Stanley Cup. It’s unclear what the conditions are on the fourth-round pick.
O’Regan, 24, is a former teammate of Sabres’ forwards Jack Eichel and Evan Rodrigues at Boston University and has played 19 games for the Sharks this season. Though he has just four points on the season, O’Regan does have some offensive upside and could jump right into the Buffalo lineup. He has 25 points in 31 games in the AHL, and though he’s a bit undersized could give them another option down the middle for the next few years. He’s a restricted free agent in the summer, but should be relatively cheap to sign for the Sabres.
The package Buffalo received for Kane may seem a little light at first glance, especially when compared directly to Rick Nash from this week. That’s likely because of the struggles he’s gone through of late, and his lack of playoff experience. Kane has just six points in 23 games in 2018, and hasn’t played a single postseason game in his nine-year career.
There is also obviously the case of Kane’s perceived attitude, which could have influenced the market that Buffalo was able to create. Kane has had off-ice trouble in the past, and though there hasn’t been much lately on any turmoil in the Buffalo dressing room, playoff teams often don’t want to risk their team chemistry on a player with a reputation. San Jose does have a strong leadership group, and decided that this package was more than acceptable for a player capable of scoring 30 goals in a season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Deadline Notes: Kane, Pacioretty, Glendening
This morning has brought some of the more surprising deals of this trade season, but there are still plenty of other names expected to be moved. One of those is Evander Kane, Buffalo’s pending UFA that has been on the market all season. Kane has had teams in and out on him, but John Vogl of the Buffalo News reports that four teams are currently talking to the Sabres about the forward.
The Pittsburgh Penguins aren’t among those teams according to Josh Yohe of The Athletic (subscription required), who wrote earlier today that they weren’t involved. The Penguins were seen as a potential fit for Kane, but after acquiring Derick Brassard might not have enough trade capital to really have any interest.
- Max Pacioretty is another one of the top names remaining, and John Shannon of Sportsnet reports that there is still interest from both the Anaheim Ducks and Florida Panthers. With the Montreal Canadiens facing the end of a disappointing season, Pacioretty has been rumored on the block for the last while. The return would likely be massive for Montreal, as their captain comes with another year on his contract at a reasonable cap hit.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs were connected to Luke Glendening of the Detroit Red Wings, but after acquiring Tomas Plekanec yesterday are likely now out of the running. Instead, Craig Custance of The Athleitc tweets that the Tampa Bay Lightning have shown interest in the defensive center, who is a faceoff specialist and penalty killer.
Anaheim Ducks Sign Chris Kelly For Remainder Of The Season
Hours after the Boston Bruins signed Team USA Olympic captain and long-time pro Brian Gionta to a contract, the Anaheim Ducks have made a similar move. Veteran center and Team Canada captain Chris Kelly is on his way back to the NHL, as TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that he has inked a one-year deal with the Ducks. However, Kelly is commanding $1.25MM plus bonuses, adds Lebrun, compared to just $700K for Gionta.
The difference in salary between the two veterans could be explained by their recent production, as Kelly recorded three points en route to a bronze medal with Canada. In contrast, Gionta failed to record a point as the Americans were bounced in the quarterfinals. However, going back to 2016-17, Gionta performed far better, registering 35 points in 82 games for the Buffalo Sabres. Kelly too played a full 82-game season last year, suiting up in every game for the Ottawa Senators, but saw only limited ice time and added just 12 points. Yet, it is Kelly who will make nearly $300K in pro-rated salary before bonuses, while Gionta will make just over half of that with Boston.
It could also just be that Kelly is being valued on his expected role with the team. While Gionta is likely to be a 13th or 14th forward for the Bruins, who have for all intents and purposes already clinched a playoff spot with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference, Kelly will likely push for a starting spot on the team’s fourth line as they fight for a playoff spot in the tight Pacific Division and Western Conference wild cared race. While scoring and power play production have been the bigger issues for Anaheim, Kelly’s two-way ability and intelligence will only further solidify a strong defensive team. It’s a savvy for GM Bob Murray and company, especially this year when the price of trading for assets has been so high.
Boston Bruins Ink Brian Gionta To 1-Year Deal
The Boston Bruins haven’t finished making moves as they announced that they have signed Team USA captain Brian Gionta to a one year, one-way contract this year worth $700K. TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie reports (Twitter link) that the deal also contains a $100K bonus for ten games played (regular season and playoffs combined) plus an additional $50K for every playoff round Boston wins.
The move after trading for winger Rick Nash this morning, gives the Bruins two veteran leaders on the team who should increase the team’s depth at the forward position. A 15-year-veteran has a connection with the city as he played for Boston College between 1997 and 2001. After failing to find an NHL contract at the start of the season, the 39-year-old received quite a bit of attention when he captained Team USA during the Olympics to the quarterfinals in Korea these past two weeks. Despite not garnering a point in the team’s performance, Gionta still was able to catch on with Boston.
Even at his age, Gionta had a productive season last year as he scored 15 goals and added 20 assists for the Buffalo Sabres. Assuming he can break into the team’s lineup, he will likely help out the team’s fourth line or fill in for injuries as it prepares for a playoff run.
Deadline Notes: Plekanec, Green, Gionta, Kane, Lindberg
While it’s still to early to know, Winnipeg Free Press’ Jeff Hamilton feels that there is a strong indication that the Winnipeg Jets are pushing to acquire Montreal Canadiens center Tomas Plekanec tonight. The 34-year-old veteran was also scratched for tonight’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, although that may just be to ensure he doesn’t get hurt right before the deadline. While there are no details on how close the two teams are, the plan, according to Hamilton, is for the Jets to use Plekanec on the team’s third line alongside Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers, which would give the team a deep lineup. Andrew Copp would move to the team’s fourth line and would join Joel Armia and Adam Lowry.
The Jets were supposedly working hard to acquire Derrick Brassard Friday, but lost out to the Pittsburgh Penguins and were forced to look for another center to fill their needs. While Plekanec is a step down from Brassard, the veteran may get some new life with the Jets, especially if he gets to play with Laine and Ehlers.
- With the trade deadline less than two days away, the Detroit Red Wings still have their top trade chip remaining on their roster, but the problem is that he’s still hurt. In fact, the top rental defenseman on the market hasn’t played in five games and could miss Sunday’s game as well. While Green as practiced with the team twice now, including Friday, MLive’s Ansar Khan suggests that while there is little doubt that Green will be moved by Monday, the timing of the injury could easily diminish the team’s returns for him. He writes teams like the Tampa Bay Lightning might pause first if they feel he could re-injure himself the moment they acquire him.
- As mentioned earlier today, there has been some interest in Team USA captain Brian Gionta. However, Pierre LeBrun adds that a couple of East teams have expressed interest in Gionta, including the Boston Bruins. While nothing in imminent, a deal could be made at some point this weekend.
- The Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington writes that the Buffalo Sabres are holding forward Evander Kane out of the lineup tonight. Kane, one of the most anticipated trade candidates join a group of players who have been held out in the last day or two as the team doesn’t want to risk losing a player to injury just before the deadline. “Management thought it was the best decision moving forward and the best decision for Evander,” coach Phil Housley said in his pregame media briefing two hours before faceoff. “… That’s the situation for right now.” No other pending trade candidates were scratched.
- Tobias Lindberg, who the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired from the Vegas Golden Knights Friday in the Derrick Brassard trade, has been assigned to the AHL, but not to their affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, but back to the Chicago Wolves, the affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights, according to Chicago Wolves broadcaster Jason Shaver. The Penguins didn’t want to move him at this point of the season to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, but can still recall him at any point during the season.
Snapshots: Gionta, Soshnikov, Leivo
Brian Gionta may have been invisible at the Olympics, but he still managed to catch the eye of one NHL team. The USA captain failed to record a point, took only 16 shots, and cleanly lost several face-offs in an effort that seemingly had quieted the talk of his NHL comeback. However, WGR 550 in Buffalo is reporting that Gionta is finalizing a deal to join a team for the remainder of the season. Gionta must sign by the trade deadline Monday to be eligible for postseason play, but WGR’s Paul Hamilton spoke with agent Steve Bartlett, who says to expect a deal with a “playoff-bound team” sometime this weekend. Despite a lackluster performance in Pyeongchang, Gionta is less than a year removed from an 82-game, 35-point campaign with the Buffalo Sabres in 2016-17 and was eager to re-sign with Buffalo this off-season, only to be rejected by the new administration. Having worked out during the year, including skating with the AHL’s Rochester Americans, Gionta is ready to go. The only question is whether he plays like he did with the Sabres last year or with Team USA last week.
- The St. Louis Blues announced that they have activated Nikita Soshnikov off of injured reserve and he could soon make his debut for the team. Soshnikov was acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs last week for a fourth-round pick, but was on IR when traded (because of course he was “injured”, the Leafs weren’t just circumventing roster limits) and remained there after the move. With the Blues on a three-game losing streak and playing poorly for weeks now, maybe Soshnikov can be the injection into the St. Louis lineup that gets the team back on track. The 24-year-old has been a near point-per-game player in the AHL this season, but without the same success at the NHL level.
- With Soshnikov and Eric Fehr now out of town, the Leafs’ lineup has opened up enough to finally give Josh Leivo some play time. TSN’s Mark Masters reports that Leivo is in the lineup for tonight’s game, his first game action in months. The 24-year-old is no longer waivers-exempt, so Toronto has refrained from trying to move him to the AHL at any point this season. As a result, Leivo has skated in only 12 NHL games this season, the last of which came back in December. When Leivo takes the ice tonight against the Boston Bruins, it will be his first game action of 2018. Despite being cold and having little production to show for his limited ice time this season, its no coincidence that Leivo is finally getting into a game just prior to the trade deadline. While it’s been disputed whether or not he has asked for a trade out of Toronto, Leivo could easily just be in the lineup tonight for the purposes of being showcased to other teams.
Deadline Notes: Kane, Grabner, Nash
The latest edition of Insider Trading on TSN was enlightening, as panel members Darren Dreger, Pierre LeBrun and Bob McKenzie discussed several of the top trade deadline names. In addition to the “king’s ransom” for Erik Karlsson that we wrote about earlier today, Evander Kane was one of the topics for the first time in a while.
Dreger believes that the Buffalo Sabres already have a few offers for Kane, but that those include roster players and the team is more interested in picks and prospects. Kane is mired in a terrible scoring slump just at the wrong time for Buffalo, who will hope that the fact he has just four points in his last 20 games won’t hurt their return too much when he’s eventually moved.
- LeBrun was very clear when speaking about Rick Nash, saying that he “will get moved before Monday.” Nash is alongside Kane as the top rental options on the market, and LeBrun lists Nashville, Dallas, Columbus, Winnipeg and Boston as teams that have shown some interest in the veteran winger. The Jets might not be on Nash’s approved trade list, meaning the two sides would need to agree to waive his no-trade for any move to Winnipeg.
- Nash’s teammate Michael Grabner has many more suitors according to McKenzie, who says there could be as more than 10-12 teams interested in the speedster. Grabner has 25 goals on the season and can play up and down a lineup, but doesn’t create much for those around him. McKenzie reports that a second-round pick and “something” is believed to be the asking price, which could be more palatable to contenders than the prices for Nash or Kane.
Jake McCabe To Undergo Shoulder Surgery
The Buffalo Sabres will be without Jake McCabe for the rest of the 2017-18 season, as he’ll undergo shoulder surgery that will keep him out for four to six months. According to GM Jason Botterill, McCabe had been dealing with the problem for a while:
Jake has been progressing well in his recovery from his previous injury, but we decided that this was a good opportunity to take care of a problem that he has been dealing with for a while. Jake will have time to fully recover before the beginning of the 2018-19 season.
Even though the Sabres are struggling through another disappointing season, McCabe is one of the hopefuls to be part of a turnaround. Just 24, the defenseman has shown potential to become a solid player in his own end and a top-4 defenseman in the NHL. Though he’s clearly not done developing, there is reason to think he can be a solid piece going forward.
McCabe has one more season on his current deal that carries a $1.6MM cap hit, after which he’ll be a restricted free agent. Starting July 1st, the team could consider an extension to buy out some of his UFA years, or wait to see what he can do coming off this latest injury. Four months gives him plenty of time to get ready for training camp, while six is starting to cut it pretty close. Regardless, unless he faces a setback in his rehab he’ll be ready to go on opening day.
Trade Candidate: Evander Kane
As the trade deadline continues to creep closer and closer, we continue our profiles of players that have a good chance to be dealt by February 26th.
Sabres winger Evander Kane is no stranger to the spotlight both on and off the ice. He also has certainly become accustomed to being the focal point of trade speculation as his name has been in the rumor mill all season long. At some point over the next week, it’s highly expected that he will be dealt.
Contract
Kane is in the final season of a six-year, $31.5MM contract he signed back with Winnipeg in 2012. He is receiving a $6MM salary with his $5.25MM cap charge and he will be an unrestricted free agent in July.
2017-18
Even though the Sabres struggled out of the gate, Kane got off to a fantastic start offensively and was hovering around the point-per-game mark through the first 35 games of the season (33 points). Accordingly, GM Jason Botterill set a very high asking price, one that involved a first-round pick, a conditional selection, plus a top prospect. Based on how he was playing, it was certainly a justifiable ask as well.
Unfortunately for Buffalo, Kane hasn’t been able to sustain that level of play over the past two months. In fact, he hasn’t even come close. In the 25 games since then, he has just six points (4-2-6) despite still averaging over 18 minutes per night of ice time. Now, instead of being a player providing top-line production, he has produced as a bottom-six winger despite still seeing top-line minutes. That certainly has hurt Botterill’s leverage and has undoubtedly played a role in Kane sticking with the Sabres to this point in time.
Season Stats
60 GP, 19 goals, 20 assists, 39 points, -14 rating, 57 PIMS, 224 shots, 19:22 ATOI, 50.7 CF%
Potential Suitors
In the East, Pittsburgh has expressed an interest previously but their salary cap constraints would require them to free up a considerable amount of space before they could make a deal even if Buffalo retains on his cap hit. In terms of a fit though, he would fit in well in a secondary role which may be the best role for him to play. The Bruins are known to be looking for help on the wing although the acquisition cost for Kane may be higher than they’re willing to pay. The Islanders make some sense in terms of where he could fit in but GM Garth Snow has ruled out trading top picks and prospects for rentals which takes them out of the equation. Columbus is looking for scoring help and while he’s not a center – the position they’d prefer to add to, they’ll take help putting the puck in the net where they could get it.
Out West, his former team in Winnipeg is looking for a scoring winger but there’s no way a reunion is happening with Kane. Nashville is also on the lookout for help on the wing but Rick Nash is believed to be their preferred target at the moment. If a deal can’t be reached there, they could get involved in talks for Kane. The Blues could benefit from another top-six winger but like Pittsburgh, salary cap constraints would make a deal particularly challenging as things currently stand. If Anaheim decides to be buyers at the deadline, they would be an intriguing fit for Kane and have some prospect capital to deal from on the back end, a position that Buffalo needs help with. However, the Ducks could turn around and be sellers depending on how these next few games go.
Likelihood Of A Trade
Considering there have been no talks about a contract extension, the odds here have to be quite high that Kane will eventually be moved. Botterill has indicated previously that Buffalo will be willing to retain to help facilitate a trade but they may have to drop their asking price before a deal actually happens. That’s something that the Sabres won’t want to do until they have to so this is a case that could drag out right until deadline day on the 26th.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.