Latest On Evander Kane’s Trade Potential
Though much of Elliotte Friedman’s latest 31 Thoughts column surrounded the potential trade availability of Ottawa Senators captain Erik Karlsson, he also mentioned the Calgary Flames pursuit of more “edge.” Friedman has mentioned this a few times over the last few weeks on Sportsnet, and one can see where he’d get it from. The Flames are presided over by Brian Burke, famous for his love of “truculence” and the like.
Friedman mentions that he could see the Flames joining “growing group eyeing Buffalo’s Evander Kane,” which leads to some interesting questions. How many teams are in that group, and just how valuable is Kane on the open market? Friedman reports that teams have been told the Sabres want a return like what Winnipeg received for Andrew Ladd and Arizona pulled in for Martin Hanzal, but if the group of bidders continues to grow how high can it really get?
Kane has points in his last four games and is already at 27 for the year, a 74-point pace that would destroy his previous career-high of 57. He also sits third in the entire league in shots on goal, behind only Alex Ovechkin and Vladimir Tarasenko. Ladd and Hanzal are both very good players, but neither were an in-their-prime offensive weapon like Kane will be this February, when he’ll still be just 26-years old.
That’s not to say he doesn’t come with flaws. The first thing any acquiring team must realize is that he’s an unrestricted free agent this summer, and at that young age of 26 could be committed to getting himself a huge payday. As one of the younger players to ever hit the market, Kane would have his choice of several destinations and a long-term, big money deal.
Minnesota and Chicago both knew they wouldn’t be re-signing their respective rentals, but still bit the bullet and send packages including first-round picks. That’s where a problem may arise for Calgary if they decide to join the bidding. The Flames already dealt away their top two picks in 2018 to acquire Travis Hamonic this summer. They also could lose various 2019 picks depending on some trade conditions, meaning they likely want to hang onto the first-rounder from that year.
That means Calgary would likely have to go a prospect or young player route, which is always a dangerous game when trading for a rental. The Flames do have some excellent defensive prospects like Juuso Valimaki and Adam Fox, but moving either would be a serious decision.
The proverbial ball is in Buffalo’s court over the next few months, as they continue to try and up the bidding on any player on their roster not named Jack Eichel in order to turn their franchise around. Kane is the key to all of that, and could end up fetching quite the return. What exactly that return is, will be up to which teams are willing to spend on the pending UFA.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Eichel Wants Sabres To Be Better For Lehner
The Sabres’ struggles, and the mounting frustration with it have been well chronicled. The Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington writes about a new irritation for Buffalo–this one about star Jack Eichel who is frustrated for their Sabres netminder Robin Lehner. Despite all of the losing, Eichel is growing into a leadership role and pointed to himself after a 3-2 overtime loss to Chicago Friday night. Gifted a chance to put away the Hawks with a penalty shot in overtime, an exhausted Eichel couldn’t convert and the Hawks put the Sabres away minutes later. Lehner played outstanding, stopping 48 of 51 shots, and Eichel knew this. The emotional winger spoke of his fatigue with losing and specifically with how they’re losing. The pain in his voice, Harrington reports, was so great that Lehner had to compose himself during his own interview with the assembled media. Though they’re at the bottom of the Atlantic and the East, no one can accuse the team of not caring.
Tyson Jost Could Join Canada’s World Junior Team
Hockey Canada released a list of 32 players invited to the World Junior selection camp this month, as they prepare for the tournament in Buffalo. As we wrote when the list was released, it is possible for several other NHL players could be allowed to join the tournament as well should their clubs release them. Alexander Nylander, for instance, still doesn’t have an answer from the Buffalo Sabres on whether he’d be allowed to leave the Rochester Americans to play for Sweden.
Tyson Jost of the Colorado Avalanche is that player for Canada, and as Adrian Dater of BSN Denver reports it’s likely that he’ll be allowed to leave the team to play in the tournament. Jost’s development has been handled very carefully this season, with him spending time in the AHL to receive more minutes and work on his two-way game.
How can he play in the AHL and still be eligible for the World Juniors you ask?
Jost played in the BCHL before being drafted and heading to the University of North Dakota, meaning he’s not held to the same restrictions as CHL players. Remember, those drafted out of the CHL cannot play in the AHL until they turn 20. Jost is just 19 still, and would be a huge help to the Canadian team.
The 10th-overall pick in 2016, Jost has top-line upside as an all-around center and was part of the 2017 Canadian team that took home the silver medal. Even though the team already has plenty of talent to pick from, getting another returnee—especially one that has captained Canada on the international stage in the past—would increase their chances even more.
Options In Net For The Edmonton Oilers
Things went from bad to worse for the Edmonton Oilers’ 2017-18 season when dependable starting goaltender Cam Talbot went down with and upper body injury and landed on IR and could remain out through December. His replacement, Laurent Brossoit, is struggling and that’s putting it gently. In 8 appearances, Brossoit has one win, an .872 save percentage, and a 3.80 GAA. Neither of the backup options, Nick Ellis or Eddie Pasquale, has any NHL experience, nor has either been given a chance to gain any just yet, nor has either played remarkably well in the AHL as well. It’s a dire situation for a team that is desperate for wins, or else the face a familiar possibility of finishing as one of the league’s worst teams this season.
So what are the options? TSN’s Frank Servalli believes that Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli is scouring the trade market for help in net. Servalli lists Buffalo’s Chad Johnson, Winnipeg’s Michael Hutchinson, Philadelphia’s Michal Neuvirth, Toronto’s Calvin Pickard, and Detroit’s Petr Mrazek as the top targets for Edmonton.
Johnson, of course, is known to be on the trade block courtesy of the Sabres’ own struggles and seems to be the best fit of these options as a reliable veteran on a one-year deal. Servalli even states that Johnson, along with Neuvirth, were among the Chiarelli’s free agency targets to be Talbot’s backup. However, as Servalli points out, there could be other suitors for Johnson, which could drive the price up.
More affordable assets to acquire could be Hutchinson or Pickard, due to their teams’ depth in goal. The Maple Leafs acquired Pickard from the Vegas Golden Knights earlier this year, but with Frederik Andersen playing well, a veteran backup in Curtis McElhinney, and other promising young goalies in Garret Sparks and Kasimir Kaskisuo in line, Pickard is expendable. So too could be McElhinney or Sparks as well, if Chiarelli favors those Toronto alternatives. In Winnipeg, the thriving Jets are doing just fine with Connor Hellebuyck, rookie Eric Comrie, and expensive free agent acquistion Steve Mason as their net rotation. A solid goaltender with ties to Chiarelli from the Boston Bruins, fourth-string Hutchinson seems like a likely target.
Mrazek and Neuvirth less so. Mrazek is still young, is making $4MM, and will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season. It is likely that he would be costly to acquire and costly to re-sign, when the Oilers really just need a stopgap. Neuvirth, who has a year remaining at $2.5MM, could replace Brossoit as the long-term backup to Talbot if Chiarelli so chooses, but also seems like an unlikely acquisition. AHL goaltenders from both the Red Wings and Flyers – Jared Coreau and Alex Lyon – might actually make more sense.
Other options: Eddie Lack or David Rittich from the rival Calgary Flames, Colorado’s Andrew Hammond, Anaheim’s Reto Berra, L.A.’s Jack Campbell or Jeff Zatkoff, and several more. The options are there, so the pressure is on Chiarelli to find a fair deal and to do it soon. Edmonton may simply lose upcoming games regardless of who is in net, but if the team continues forward with only Brossoit, the blame will fall on the front office for not doing something to at least increase their chances.
Matt Moulson Clears Waivers
Joel Hanley of the Arizona Coyotes and Matt Moulson of the Buffalo Sabres, on waivers yesterday, have both cleared and can be assigned to their respective AHL teams. The Sabres had been trying to find a taker for Moulson and his $5MM cap hit, but instead will have to bury him in the minor leagues. The team will gain a prorated $1.025MM in salary cap relief from assigning him to the AHL.
Matt Moulson Loaned To Ontario Reign
Just moments after our last piece that referenced how the Buffalo Sabres and Matt Moulson were working to find an option for him, the team announced that the veteran forward has been loaned to the Ontario Reign of the AHL. The Reign are the affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings, but Moulson will remain on the books for the Sabres. As Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News points out, Moulson’s wife and Jonathan Quick‘s wife are sisters, giving him family ties to the area and organization.
This move would seem to at least halt any trade speculation for the time being, as the Sabres likely exhausted all options before sending Moulson to Ontario. That speculation may pick up in the future should he play well at the AHL level, since the 34-year old forward still costs the Sabres a hefty salary while playing in the minor leagues. Though his signing bonus for this year will have already been paid, he still carries a $3MM salary for the year (with a $5MM cap hit).
Moulson is also a candidate to be bought out at the end of the year, though because of the back-loaded nature of his deal it won’t save the Sabres a ton of cap space. He would still carry a $3.67MM cap hit for 2018-19, and a $667K hit for 2019-20. They’d also save only about $750K in actual money, though he would at least be free to search for another opportunity and remove a contract from the roster for the Sabres.
Snapshots: Moulson, Armstrong, Lightning
Buffalo Sabres forward Matt Moulson cleared waivers today, allowing the team to send him to the minor leagues if they choose. Since that hasn’t happened yet, Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News asked head coach Phil Housley about the situation. The coach’s response:
Jason [Botterill, GM of the Sabres] and his agent are working on some options but that’s as much as I know at this point.
As with any player, Moulson would likely prefer to go somewhere that has an NHL role for him, but he currently holds a partial no-trade clause. Moulson can submit 12 teams that he’ll accept trades to, but perhaps his agent and Botterill will expand that to get a deal done somewhere. Moulson has another year on his contract at a $5MM cap hit, and the Sabres would likely need to retain some of the salary to facilitate a deal. Whether they can find one that is worth it is still unclear.
- Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic reports that the St. Louis Blues have opened negotiations with GM Doug Armstrong on a new contract extension. Armstrong is one of several GMs around the league operating in the final year of their contract, something fellow Athletic scribe Frank Provenzano warned against recently. Though the Blues are still looking for the first Stanley Cup in the history of their franchise, Armstrong’s recent moves have put them in a strong position both now and in the future. The Blues have dropped to third in the Central Division, but still remain a playoff favorite this season and still have some promising young talents like Klim Kostin, Tage Thompson, Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou on their way.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, as the team is close to extending their lease through 2037. According to Steve Contorno of the Tampa Bay Times, Hillborough County would commit $61MM over that 20-year period for upgrades to Amalie Arena, with the team also required to put in a large amount. Just today, Forbes ranked the Lightning the 23rd most valuable team in the league, sandwiched between the Islanders and Avalanche at $390MM. That comes as a huge 28% raise over last year’s valuation, and leads the state-rival Florida Panthers by $85MM. Success this season would only serve to help their foothold in the community and state sports market, something that Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman are doing their very best to bring to the team and city. Tampa Bay finds itself in first place in the Atlantic Division and an early favorite for the Stanley Cup Finals.
Snapshots: Hakstol, Svechnikov, Backup Goaltenders
The Philadelphia Flyers have now lost 10 games in a row, and find themselves at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division. With just eight wins and 23 points on the year, they sit only ahead of Buffalo and Arizona in the overall standings and are nearly at a breaking point in terms of playoff contention. Despite all that the team is not considering a coaching change, as Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. GM Ron Hextall told Carchidi that Dave Hakstol would be coaching for the rest of the season “and beyond,” ending any speculation that he may be on the chopping block.
This is Hakstol’s third season as head coach of the Flyers, and after getting knocked out in the first round in 2015-16 the team missed the playoffs entirely last year. They were lucky enough to move up in the draft lottery and get the chance to draft Nolan Patrick, but have once again been a disappointing team this year. Brian Elliott, brought in to try and stabilize the goaltending situation has been less than what was hoped for and the team has scored just 70 goals all season. Whatever Hextall says, heat from the Philadelphia fan base will continue if they can’t turn their streak around soon.
- As the World Junior tournament approaches—Canada and the USA will release their potential rosters over the next couple of days—Andrei Svechnikov is about to get back onto the ice. A potential first-overall pick in 2018, Svechnikov has missed the last six weeks with a hand injury. Bob McKenzie of TSN reports that he’s expected back in the Barrie Colts lineup on Friday, and will almost certainly be named to the Russian roster soon after that. Team Russia released a list of players that will compete for the final roster, but only included those playing in Russia at the moment. Those skating in North America will still be added over the next week.
- The Edmonton Oilers are actively looking for a backup goaltender according to Frank Seravalli of TSN, and the scribe details potential options around the league. With Cam Talbot on the shelf for at least two more weeks and Laurent Brossoit struggling in the starting role, the Oilers could be forced to make a move or watch their playoff chances slip away. Chad Johnson, a player who the Buffalo Sabres have already received interest in, tops the list and could be an option for the Oilers over the next few days. There’s no guarantee he’d be an upgrade though, as Johnson has struggled this season in his return to Buffalo.
Detroit Red Wings Trade Scott Wilson To Buffalo Sabres
The Detroit Red Wings era for forward Scott Wilson will come to a quick end, as the team has traded him to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a 2019 fifth-round pick. Wilson was acquired by the Red Wings just this season as part of the Riley Sheahan trade, and will move on after just 17 games with the club.
Wilson, 25, is scoreless this season through 20 games but showed last year that he’s capable of adding some secondary scoring if given the chance. With 78 games in his first full season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, he scored 26 points in limited minutes and added another six in the playoffs. He played fewer than 10 minutes in all but three of his games with Detroit, but will likely be afforded more ice time in Buffalo.
With just a $625K cap hit in the second year of his current contract, Wilson will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season. Though his early play hasn’t done much to help his case, a good second half with Buffalo could put him in line for a multi-year deal as a valuable bottom-six player. With the Sabres waiving Matt Moulson today, there is clearly a change coming in Buffalo.
Wilson will be reunited with GM Jason Botterill, who previously worked with the Penguins when Wilson was working his way through the minor league system. He’ll also join Evan Rodrigues, a former teammate with the Georgetown Raiders of the OJHL. Both played in that league partly to maintain their NCAA eligibility, heading to UMass-Lowell (Wilson) and Boston University (Rodrigues). With Rodrigues just called up this morning, there’s a possibility the pair even plays together right away.
The Red Wings had sent a fifth-round pick along with Sheahan to the Pittsburgh Penguins, which they’ve now basically reclaimed with the deal to Buffalo—though, the original pick was for 2018, meaning they’ve moved back a year. For a team that was shellacked on the weekend and is beginning to show cracks in their early season success, Detroit is committed to adding future assets even as they attempt to make the playoffs.
Whether Botterill and company see Wilson as a piece long-term will be decided before next season, but there was clearly an impression made on him in the past to use an asset at this point in the year. The Sabres are almost completely out of playoff contention already, and are just looking for some consistency or improvement at this point. Wilson is nothing if not a hard worker, and could inject some energy into the team right away. Whether that translates into points is still to be seen.
Arizona Places Joel Hanley On Waivers
Along with Matt Moulson—who the Buffalo Sabres already announced would be going on waivers today— Joel Hanley has been placed on waivers according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Hanley’s assignment likely means that Niklas Hjalmarsson will be ready to return to the lineup on Thursday night.
The Coyotes signed Hanley to a one-year deal this summer after he didn’t receive a qualifying offer from the Montreal Canadiens, but likely expected him to play most of the season in the minor leagues. He’s now played four games for the Coyotes, but was held scoreless in each. The 26-year old has just 21 games under his belt since earning his entry-level contract in 2015, after grinding his way through four years at UMass-Amherst and another on an AHL deal in the minors.
Arizona is still at the bottom of the standings in the Pacific Division, but have recently climbed a bit closer to relevance. With Jakob Chychrun back and making an impact right away, and now a return from Hjalmarsson perhaps they can continue to creep their way up the standings.